The Adventures of Valen Telvanni
by Adam Fitzpatrick
Summary: A young male Dark Elf who grew up in Riften embarks on an epic journey to stop the evil dragon named Alduin and save Nirn from the World-Eater's soul-snare. Rated for T for graphic violence and some mildly inappropriate language.
1. Chapter 1: Origins

**The Adventures of Valen Telvanni**

 **Chapter 1: Origins**

 _You should have acted. They're already here. The Elder Scrolls told of their return. Their defeat was merely a delay…'til the time after Oblivion opened. When the sons of Skyrim would spill their own blood. But no one wanted to believe. Believe they even existed. And when the truth finally dawned…it dawns in fire! But there is one they fear…in their tongue, he is Dovahkiin…DRAGONBORN!_

 _"FUS RO DAH!"_

 _Nuz aan sul, fent alok, fod fin vul dovah nok! Fen kos nahlot mahfaearaak ahrk ruz! Paaz Keizaal fen kos stin nol bein Alduin jot! Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin! Wah dein mahfaeraak ahst vaal! Ahrk fin norok paal graan fod nust hon ziindro zahn! Dovahkiin, fah hin, kogaan mu draal!_

4th Summer's End, 4E 195. Riften, Skyrim.

46 years ago, this city was huge and bursting with shopkeepers and merchants who came here from all over Skyrim and all over Tamriel to do business. Crime was very low, and the guards kept a tight rein over the populace. The canal was clean and made an excellent spot for anyone who wanted to go fishing.

But now it was neglected and stagnant, just like the city of Riften; which was now a lot smaller as well. Thefts, muggings, briberies, extortion, corruption, lies and deceit are the order of the day here. The Black-Briars own this city. They have the Jarl and the guards in their back pocket, and the Thieves Guild watching their back.

And speaking of the Guild, even they are not the organisation they once were. For the last few years, they've been slowly declining ever since their former leader Gallus was apparently murdered in cold blood by one of their own. How they can even still call themselves a "Guild" when they won't hesitate to butcher their own members like pigs is just…baffling.

Their honour used to rival even that of the Companions, but now they're just lowlifes and ruffians trying to squeeze as much gold as they can from honest, hard-working people. Even the Dark Brotherhood follows a strict set of principles. These thieves are just rabble.

On the roof of the Black Briar manor, there was a Dark Elf named Valen Telvanni, dressed in brown leather armour but on his head, he wore a brown hood instead of a leather helmet. Black would have been more preferable, as it allowed him to blend in with the shadows more easily at night. But unfortunately, brown is the only colour his armour comes in.

Valen was watching the people of Riften as they browsed around the stalls in the market and bartered with the vendors, until a thief snatched a fat coin purse from a woman and immediately ran as fast he could to avoid getting caught by the guards.

The woman cried as loudly as she could; "Stop, thief!" and Valen sprung into action – jumping across the city's rooftops swiftly, and with great agility. The woman cried out to the guards for help and pointed to the fleeing thief, but the guards were too lazy and corrupt to move a muscle. So what if someone is being robbed? It happens all the time here in Riften. The young Mer moved like a cat, while wasting only little time and without touching the ground, from the Black Briar manor to the wall at the front entrance to Mistveil Keep, then leapt on to a wooden arch overlooking the canal near the entrance to the Ratway beneath the city. The thief had almost made it to the sewers. _Almost_.

But just as he was running halfway down the stairs, Valen pounced on him like a cat on a mouse and he was knocked to the floor. The Dunmer then grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up with his left hand easily and raised his right fist threateningly.

The thief was a male Khajiit; a bit smaller than the Elf and his fur was white with black stripes. "Give me the purse, furball, or I'll bloody your nose!" Valen demanded and the cowardly cat didn't hesitate to squeal. "Fine, take it! Just don't hurt J'kar! Please!" he said, and at these words, he gave the purse to Valen and the Dunmer let him go.

J'kar scattered away into the sewers and Valen took the purse back to its' rightful owner – a Nord woman in her mid-to-late thirties, with a mature figure, in a blue set of fine clothes. "Thank you, young man" she said to Valen when he returned her purse back to him.

Valen smiled politely and replied "It was nothing, my lady. Just helping a woman in need, that's all"

"Oh, stop being so modest! Here…" she took half the gold from her purse and gave it to Valen as a reward for his good deed. "Have half my gold for the great service you have done me"

"My lady, you're very kind, but you don't have to…"

"Nonsense! You deserve a reward. Go on, take it!" she insisted. Valen accepted the gold, just to be polite. "As you wish" he said. Later on that night, the Dunmer stayed at the Bee and Barb, like he has done every night since he left Honorhall. Valen had built himself quite the reputation for being a hometown hero, and the honest folk living in Riften quickly began to take a liking to him. The thief he caught today was neither the first nor the only one, and he certainly wouldn't be the last, either.

When he entered the premises, wearing his hood down this time, one of the patrons saw him and called out happily "Hey, everyone! It's Valen!" and most, if not all, raised their mugs and cheered loudly for him.

Valen smiled in gratitude for their warm reception. "Thank you, thank you" he said, as he walked over to the bar. "Hey, Valen! Catch any robbers today?" one patron asked. "You betcha" said the Dark Elf. A gorgeous young woman with long black hair and a slender figure – another Dark Elf about the same age as Valen – said to him flirtatiously "Hey, handsome" and Valen gave her a playful wink, pointed at her and replied "Hey, apart from being sexy, what do you do for a living?"

The girl giggled and blushed – which Valen thought was cute. "That was real smooth" she thought. She wasn't the only female who found Valen attractive. He was a very handsome young man, with short brown hair, soul-piercing red eyes, a robust physique, a thick, bushy brown beard on his chin and he was fairly tall for a Dunmer as well. Usually when he walked down the street, his impressive appearance was enough to turn the head of almost any woman walking by.

Before he even sat down at the bar, the innkeeper; an Argonian woman named Keerava, poured him a mug of strong mead and called to him "Hey, Valen! This one's on the house"

Valen parked his bum on a stool and said "Thanks, Keerava" and he downed it. The beverage was strong, but Valen could hold his booze, and that was just his first. The mead Valen usually drank was nothing fancy. Black-Briar Mead was quite popular in Riften, but he never touched the stuff because he hated the Black-Briars. Any mead except that, even just plain mead, was enough for the Mer.

"So, anything interesting happen today?" Keerava asked him. "Not really, no. I caught another robber today, but that's nothing new"

"Who was it?"

"A male Khajiit named J'kar. A real weasel, that one. He stole a woman's bloated coin purse and almost got to the Ratway before I could reach him" Valen then added " _Almost_ being the operative word. I got him just before he could make it to the Ratway's front entrance. He was fast, but not fast enough. I threatened to bloody his nose; to which he squealed without hesitation and agreed to hand it over as long as I wouldn't hurt him. Then, as soon as I had the purse, I let him go and gave it back to the woman who…misplaced it, and she gave me half her gold as a reward"

"She sounds like a very generous woman" Keerava commented. "You want another round?"

"I don't suppose it's not on the house this time?" Valen asked, though he didn't really require an answer. Keerava shook her head. "Sorry, my friend"

"No need to apologise" said the Dunmer. "You need the money. Especially in these troubled times." He put a handful of septims on the counter, Keerava counted it and put the gold pieces in her back pocket. She then poured Valen another round, and he gulped the cold beverage down.

…

Later on that night, Valen finished his drink and paid Keerava the rent for his room, then retired to bed for the night. When he closed his eyes, he began to dream of something specific. In this dream, he was not himself, but someone else.

 _Tel Mora, Vvardenfell, Morrowind 3E 6:_

 _On a dark and quiet night, a pale yet beautiful Dunmer woman with long black hair knocked on the door of the Tel Mora tower; which was, by Telvanni tradition, a giant mushroom raised from the ground. A gaunt Dark Elf boy about 20 years younger than the woman at the door, but looked roughly the same age – almost as pale as she was, with a distorted, deformed body answered it. He looked tired and stressed out about something. The rings around his eyes were a clear indicator of that. She looked into his eyes and by doing so; she could almost feel his pain._

 _"Greetings, sera" she said. "I am Lilith Telvanni"_

 _The boy noted she had the same last name as him, as he looked at her curiously and asked her in hushed tones "Are you a…"_

 _"Shh!" Lilith shushed him. "Don't say the V-word. Not here. But yes, that is exactly what I am"_

 _"Can I see your fangs? Just to be sure?"_

 _"Of course" she showed him her fangs, and they looked real enough to the boy for him to step aside, hold the door open and say "Come on in. Quickly, now"._

 _She entered the tower, and the boy closed the door behind him. He turned to Lilith and said matter-of-factly "My parents are out right now, but they'll be back soon, so we don't have much time. Can we please just get this over with?"_

 _"As you wish" Lilith replied. "Hold still" she then approached and embraced him in her arms, and while she held him firmly, she bit him on the neck and then everything went black._


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to Riften

**Chapter 2: Welcome to Riften**

Valen woke up the next morning and went downstairs. He purchased something to eat for breakfast from Keerava, and a drink to wash it down. After he finished his meal, he left the inn and was about to head on over to the market to see what wares they had for sale.

But on the way there, he was approached by a big Nord woman in Banded Iron Armour who carried an Orcish Battleaxe on her back and half her face was painted blue. Her hair was light brown and shoulder length. "Hey, you're Riften's protector, aren't you?" she said. "Aerin told me about you"

Her voice had a thick Nord accent. She may not have been from Riften, but she's certainly no stranger to Skyrim, either. "I am" said Valen. "And you are?"

"Mjoll the Lioness" she answered. A fitting name for a woman like her. She looked strong. Perhaps she could assist Valen in his crime-fighting career. A young man in a brown set of fine clothes accompanied her. His name was Aerin. "This kind soul found me injured outside a Dwarven ruin named Mzinchaleft. He brought me here, nursed me back to health, and told me about the problems plaguing Riften. So, is it true?"

"I'm afraid so" Valen confirmed grimly. "The Black-Briars own this city. Maven is the matron of their family, and she's got the guards and the Jarl in her back pocket, as well as the Thieves Guild watching her back. I've been doing everything I can for the past few years to protect the people of Riften from them, but it hasn't been easy, and I'm all alone here. But you look pretty fierce. I bet if anyone from the Guild ever saw you, they'd flee in fear like the cowards they are. Perhaps you could help me keep the streets safe from them, if you're interested"

Mjoll considered her words carefully for a moment, then said "I would be glad to help, now that I'm back to my full strength. But there is a small…problem"

"What is it?" Valen asked in genuine intrigue.

"You see, I was an adventurer before I was brought here, travelling all across Tamriel looking for fame and glory. But while I was exploring the bowels of a Dwarven ruin named Mzinchaleft, I was attacked by a massive Dwemer construct and my sword; Grimsever, was knocked from my grasp. Luckily, Aerin found me, brought me here and nursed me back to health. Else I would have died. But without Grimsever, I feel almost as defenceless as a newborn."

"I could get it back for you, if you want" Valen offered.

"I was afraid to ask because I don't want to be responsible for your death" Mjoll admitted. "But I can see that fire in your eyes, and I can tell your mind has already been made up. If you could get it back for me, I'll be in your debt, but please…try not to get yourself killed"

Valen smiled. He barely knew this woman, but he could tell by her concern for his safety and this city that Mjoll was a very compassionate woman. "Don't worry" he assured her. "I know what lies within Dwemer ruins. I'll be fine"

The Dunmer then remembered something important and said to Mjoll "Oh, would you mind keeping Riften safe for me while I'm gone?"

"Of course" Mjoll agreed. "Thank you" seeing the battleaxe on Mjoll's back again, Valen then added "And please; try not to kill anyone. Even if it's someone from the Guild. Or else, the guards will have you thrown in jail for murder, or worse"

Mjoll scoffed and replied with mild sarcasm "Do I look like a back-alley cutthroat to you?"

Valen furrowed his brow. "No, obviously, you're not some backstabbing assassin. I didn't mean to imply that you were. And I am sorry if I've offended you. I'm just saying; don't go chopping people's heads off with that battleaxe of yours. If, by any chance, some poor sod gets murdered, or is about to be, then you have my permission to kill the culprit if needs be. However, Riften is Thieves Guild territory. The Dark Brotherhood is hundreds of leagues from here, and they don't visit very often either."

"That is good to hear" Mjoll commented. "Do not worry. There will be no bloodshed as long as there are no "

"Good" the Dark Elf said. "I suppose I'd better be off then"

…

Valen left Riften shortly afterwards for the first time. Usually, he is too busy protecting his city to venture beyond its walls, but he knew what dangers lurked in the wilderness and he wasn't afraid of a few wild animals or bandits.

There was a war going on as well, but Valen knew it wouldn't be a problem as long as he kept his wits about him and maintained a safe distance from any battle between two armies that was taking place.

Valen approached the carriage driver; who looked pretty tough. He was dressed in a full set of Nordic carved armour and he carried a glass greatsword on his back. Driving a carriage in Skyrim was dangerous enough given the roads are thick with bandits and beasts, and rumours of rebellion against the Empire have recently began to spread across the land, so drivers (and passengers) had to be extra careful.

"Need a ride?" the Driver asked in a voice that was clearly a Nord's. "I'd like to hire your carriage" the Mer replied.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Have you heard of a Dwarven ruin called Mzinchaleft?" Valen asked him. "If you have, I need you to take me there"

"Aye. It's in The Pale. That'll be twenty septims, please" said the driver. "Not a problem" The Dunmer replied as he handed him a good-sized coin purse and the driver told him to "Climb in back and we'll be off"

So Valen climbed into the back of the carriage and the driver spurred his horse on. "Gee up, there" he said to the steed, and it began to pull the cart down the road.

…

The journey to Mzinchaleft was long and lonesome. On the way there, Valen began to daydream about his "other life" again.

 _The boy woke up eventually, after Lilith bit him on the neck, but he was not at home. She took him to a secret hideout – where only Lilith herself and a few others knew existed. The lighting was quite limited. Only a few torches were lit, but the boy was able to see well enough to make out that he was in what appeared to be a cave or some old ruin._

 _Lilith was standing in front of him. She bent down and offered him her hand. He took it and she helped him up onto his feet. "Where am I?" he asked her._

" _This is your new home" she answered. "A safe haven for our kind"_

" _Our kind? Am I a vampire now?"_

" _Not yet. I have infected you with Sanguinare Vampiris, but before you can become a full-fledged vampire, there is something you must do first"_

 _Come to think of it, the boy didn't feel much different than before she bit him. "What is it?" he asked._

" _You must give yourself to the Blood Matron" Lilith told him. "Who?"_

" _The Blood Matron" the female Telvanni repeated. "Lamae Bal. She is the first of our kind. A Nedic woman and former Priestess of Arkay, who The Deceiver ravaged and made her a creature of the night. You must drink from the Fountain of Pain; and watch how she suffered by His hand. Then you must drink from the Fountain of Rejection; and see how Arkay turned his back on her. Then you must defile the Deceiver's shrine, and do the same to Arkay's, then kneel in the pool of blood and submit to the Blood Matron. Her children will then make you one of us; a Scion of the Blood Matron."_

 _To the right, the boy saw the pool Lilith mentioned and the two shrines in front of it facing each other on opposite sides – the one on the right was a Shrine to Molag Bal and the one on the left was Arkay's Shrine. He then looked to his right and saw a large fountain that was filled with blood just like the pool._

" _Is that the Fountain of Pain?" he asked. "Yes, it is"_

" _Very well. I'll do it" he agreed. "By the way" the boy prefaced. "Name's Adrenor"_

…

The dream (or was it a memory?) ended there, when Valen heard the carriage driver say "Here we are. Mzinchaleft"

The driver stopped the carriage near the Dwemer ruin's entrance and the elf said to him "Thank you" before he jumped off the back onto the snowy ground. "You may go now"

"Are you sure?" the driver asked. "I can wait here until you return, if you like"

"No, it's too dangerous. Besides, I can take care of myself. I'll find my way back home, don't worry"

"As you wish. Good luck"

"To you, as well"

On that basis, the driver spurred his horse on and left Valen as he approached the front entrance to Mzinchaleft. Aside from a few bandits, no one seemed to be guarding it. "Good" Valen thought. "Then getting in shouldn't be a problem at all"

Needless to say, it wasn't a problem. Bandits are nothing but cowards. To a travelling merchant or a hunter, they may be a more serious threat, but for a Dunmer of House Telvanni, they were no match at all.

Valen's Telvanni blood was thick, and it allowed him to decimate the bandits with Thunderbolts and Fireballs and so forth. No training was required – he knew exactly what he was doing. And the lowly brigands never stood a chance.

He made short work of them, and proceeded alone into the ruined Dwarven city. Valen was not only very brave, and a very capable mage, but he was also remarkably intelligent and well aware of the many traps the Dwemer had set to keep intruders out of their cities. Rather than go blundering into them like a fool and getting himself killed as a result, he quietly snuck through the ruin and silently casted Illusion spells like Invisibility and Muffle to aid in his sneaking.

And not only did he have to worry about the traps, but the metal guardians that still patrolled the halls, even after thousands of years, as if their masters were still around.

Valen was brave, but he wasn't stupid, either. He would fight the constructs head on if he had to, but unless they saw him and attacked, he would simply avoid them entirely if he could.

The Dunmer was just as good at stealth as he was at magic. He used his knowledge of the Illusion school to give his sneaking a little extra "oomph!" but it wasn't really needed much. Valen was very light on his feet and he was careful of where he stepped, not that he really needed to be. He could even walk over pressure plates without setting off any traps and/or alerting the constructs of his presence.

The Falmer, however, might be more of a challenge for the young Mer. They may be blind, but their other senses have been amplified profusely by their loss of eyesight. Valen unsheathed his enchanted Glass dagger; which he stole from a thief once back in Riften, gripped the hilt tightly in his right hand, and slit their throats one by one when they weren't looking- just to be sure they wouldn't find him and attack. The Dunmer didn't even bother using his Invisibility spell because although their other senses were heightened, they were still blind after all. However, he continued to quietly cast Muffle to ensure they wouldn't hear him moving. Valen's dagger was enchanted with flames, so not only did the Falmer get their throats cut; but they also got set on fire.

Luckily, the Dark Elf was able to make it past the Falmer without being detected and reach the bowels of Mzinchaleft unscathed. Grimsever was there, but unfortunately, so was the massive construct that attacked its owner and separated her from her blade.

Valen quietly crept towards the blade, which was lying next to the huge metal man and covered in blood – which the Mer presumed was Mjoll's. The blood, that is. Obviously, the sword was hers.

But then out of nowhere, a Dwarven Sphere appeared to his right, and Valen stabbed it in the chest – puncturing the Gyro in the centre, which was like a human heart, but was made of metal and only worked for Dwemer constructs.

But by destroying it, Valen accidentally woke up the colossal Centurion, and it attacked him by blowing steam at him. The Dunmer casted a Ward spell in his left hand to protect himself from the steam, when the Dwemer giant came close enough, it swung its massive right arm – which had a huge Warhammer built into it – at Valen.

He ducked underneath it just in time, got behind the beast, and sliced his dagger across its right leg. But the blade didn't seem to have much of an effect on the Centurion. Its armour was too thick and it simply turned around and struck him with its big hammer; sending him flying across the chamber with the strength of a dragon.

Valen had quite a robust constitution for a Dark Elf, but he was still hurt pretty badly from the blow. However, he was a powerful summoner, and he used his skill in the art of Conjuration to conjure two Dremora Lords at the same time, and they charged at the monster while he casted a Restoration spell called Close Wounds to heal himself immediately.

He then used Thunderbolt to attack it from a distance, while his Dremoras did the same with their Daedric Greatswords. But the colossus swung its left arm – which had a battleaxe on it – and scattered the Dremoras away from itself like they were bugs and sending them back to Oblivion where they came from. It then blew steam again at Valen; who wasn't quick enough to use a ward this time, and was temporarily disoriented by it. His vision was blinded, and the steam invaded his nose and mouth, making him cough and splutter quite violently – as if he had fallen ill all of a sudden…well, sort of, anyway.

And now the beast was closing in on him. It almost crushed Valen's skull with its hammer, but fortunately, he returned to his senses just in time to see it coming and sidestepped out of the way. He unsheathed his dagger at the same time and plunged it into the big metal man's chest while he still had the opportunity; ripping it open, reaching inside for the Dynamo Core in its centre that kept it operational, and he pulled it out of its chest.

The Centurion then stood still for a moment. Without the Core, it was no longer a threat. But then it collapsed to the floor, and Valen would have been flattened underneath the tremendous weight of it – if he hadn't moved out of the way before it hit the floor with a loud thud that echoed through the chamber.

Finally, it was defeated, and Valen walked over to Grimsever. He wrapped his fingers around the hilt, gripping it firmly in his hand, and picked it up. The elf examined it for a moment and noticed it was a bit rusty and needed sharpening, as it had been sitting in the bowels of a Dwemer ruin for…weeks? Months? Only the gods knew how long.

But despite that, it was still in relatively good condition, and Valen sheathed it on his belt. And then he took his leave out of Mzinchaleft and began a long and dangerous journey back to Riften.


	3. Chapter 3: Rebirth

**Chapter 3: Rebirth**

Due to the absence of the carriage driver, Valen had to walk all the way back to Riften. But needless to say; he didn't mind. He _did_ tell the driver to go home after all. And he wasn't afraid of whatever dangers lurked in the wilderness.

He stopped in Nightgate Inn on the way home for the night. It was a quiet little place, where no one but the occasional traveller stayed. And a man named Fultheim the Fearless.

Fultheim was a pretty unremarkable looking fellow; who dressed like a common peasant and never seemed to do much else besides drink. There were only two things about him that were of any interest at all – his name and his sword. Valen could tell by looking at it that the blade was none other than an Akaviri katana.

The Dunmer possessed quite an extensive knowledge of the Blades, and clearly, Fultheim must have also known them pretty well to have one of their swords in his possession. Whether he was an ex-Blade himself, or perhaps he killed a Blade once and took his or her sword was uncertain, but either way, he was no stranger to the ancient Order either.

While Valen was sitting at a table and eating some food and drinking his ale, he started thinking about his past yet again.

 _Adrenor did as he was told and drank from the fountain of Pain. He then saw a vision of a group of Nedic nomads burning Lamae Bal's body on a pyre. They found her after the Daedra Lord Molag Bal brutally ravaged her and left her for dead, and they thought she was dead, so they burned her. But the nomads seemed concerned that the fire didn't appear to be having any effect on Lamae at all._

 _Then suddenly, she rose up from the pyre like it was a grave and she attacked the nomads; raping them violently and draining them until they died. They never stood a chance against her – especially with her new and unholy powers. She must have had the strength of a hundred men, at least. And she moved with inhuman speed. Some of the nomads tried to kill her, and some tried to flee. Either way; they died horrible, horrible deaths._

 _And then the vision ended, and Adrenor walked over to the Fountain of Rejection. He drank from it and received another vision of Lamae. But instead of killing and raping nomads, she was crying Arkay's name out to the sky and demanding he answer her, but she received no response, and then decided to reject the Divine of Death as she believed he had turned his back on her; his own Priestess._

 _The vision ended there, and Adrenor walked over to the Shrine of Molag Bal. He defiled and destroyed the statue, and then he did the same to Arkay's Shrine. Then he walked over to the pool of blood and kneeled in it. Lamae Bal appeared to him and he pledged himself to her. Then her children drained him until he died._

 _He rose up from the pool shortly afterwards. The pathetic weakling Adrenor used to be was dead. Now he was reborn as a Scion of the Blood Matron. Even among vampires, the Scions were extremely powerful – having been sired directly by Lamae Bal herself, and now, for the first time in his life – Adrenor was powerful, too._

 _His body had changed as a result. He was taller now, and his physique was much more impressive than it used to be. Not that he had suddenly become huge, but he was no longer the scrawny little Dunmer he once was. This was normal for the Scions of the Blood Matron, for their bodies to change and mutate, making them bigger and more physically imposing than they were as mortals. It only affects their size to some degree, but it still makes quite a difference nonetheless._

…

The vision of Valen's past ended there, and he rented a room from the innkeeper, then slept in his bed until the next morning.

The next morning, Valen ate breakfast, drank a pint of mead or two, and then hit the road once again. But the roads of Skyrim are thick with bandits, and on one night, as he was about to cross the road that would soon lead him to The Rift, he was stopped by a female bandit standing outside a large tower. She was a Redguard woman in fur armour, and she was watching the road for any travellers she could extort from, as well as any potential threats to her and her criminal friends.

"Hey, this here's a toll road" she said. "You're gonna have to pay us, say, 200 gold if you want to cross"

Valen furrowed his brow. "Why should I bother? This road doesn't belong to you"

"If you won't pay in gold, then pay with your blood!" she replied threateningly, but Valen didn't even flinch. She is nothing more than a lowly brigand. The Dunmer reckoned he'd fought mudcrabs more fearsome than her.

He unsheathed Grimsever and his dagger at the same time. "Go on then; take my blood if you can!" he dared her.

The woman drew her bow and was about to nock an arrow, but Valen ran her through with Grimsever before she could. Sensing there were more bandits inside, Valen searched the tower and found that there were indeed more of them in the tower.

Fortunately, he had the element of surprise, and he used it to cut them down one by one. But it didn't last long. When they saw him killing bandits, dozens more came pouring out of the towers and brandished their weapons.

To the bandits credit, they were organised and came in all shapes and sizes. Some were huge, heavily armoured brutes in Steel Plate armour armed with large battleaxes. They were called Juggernauts. Others wore Scaled armour and armed with bows and arrows – Marksmen. And there were also a few dressed in roguish armour as black as the midnight sky armed with swords or daggers in one hand and a spell in the other; which they used to drain the life from their foes.

They were vampires, which made them more formidable than most of their fellow bandits. Fortunately, they were just fledglings. The feral thin-blooded types. Not true vampires. Even so, Valen knew not to underestimate them.

A Juggernaut swung his axe at the Dunmer, trying to cleave his head off with it, but Valen saw it coming, ducked and slashed his belly horizontally with Grimsever. The Juggernaut's armour was thick, but not thick enough to prevent the Glass blade from spilling his blood and guts out onto the floor. Before, the sword was dull, but Valen stopped in Whiterun recently to have it sharpened by Adrianne Avenicci at her forge outside Warmaiden's. Adrianne may not have been as good with a hammer and anvil as Eorlund Gray-Mane, but she was good enough to sharpen Mjoll's sword for her. Before it was dusty and somewhat blunt, but now it was as sharp and shiny as it was before Mjoll lost in the bottom of a Dwemer ruin.

A Marksman standing on the bridge from quite a distance was about to fire an arrow at Valen, but he grabbed a bandit and used him as a shield to protect him from the projectile. The bandit was lightly armoured, and the arrow had no trouble finding his heart at all. Valen then let him fall to the floor, then, as quick as a flash; Valen flipped his dagger, caught it by the blade end between his fingers and flung it at the Marksman.

The dagger landed right in his right eye and he didn't hesitate to scream in pain before he hit the floor. Not only was a dagger lodged in his eye, but the enchantment set him on fire as well, making the pain he felt even more excruciating. Valen was an expert swordsman, and he was skilled in the business of death. He took no pleasure in his skill. Simply, he was good at it.

The Mer made short work of the bandits, retrieved the dagger from the dead bandit and cleaned Grimsever of the blood after every single one of them had been slain. As he wiped it down, he looked at the sword. It was as beautiful as it was deadly, and Valen wielded the blade against the bandits as if it was his own. And it could have been but "No" he thought. "You are not mine. You belong to Mjoll the Lioness. I am simply retrieving you for her"

He then sheathed the blade and carried on walking back to Riften. By the time he came home, it was the middle of the day, and he saw Mjoll walking in the middle of the street from Aerin's house to the town centre, with Aerin following her like a lost little puppy, as he always seems to be doing.

"I had another run in with the Thieves' Guild" she was saying to Aerin. "Careful, Mjoll" the young man who rescued her replied. "Maven Black-Briar has the Thieves Guild watching her back. One snap of her fingers and you could end up in Riften Jail, or worse"

"They represent the reason I'm here, Aerin. I can't just simply ignore them"

"I know. I just don't want you to leave, that's all. You're the best thing that's ever happened to this city in a long time…except Valen, of course"

Being a Dunmer meant that Valen's elven ears were much more sensitive than any human's – which meant he heard Aerin's comment loud and clear. He smiled and thought to himself "Good to know my efforts to keep this city safe have not gone unnoticed"

"Mjoll!" he called out. "I have your sword"

Mjoll heard Valen shouting her name and turned around. Valen walked over to her with Grimsever in his hands. The blade was currently sheathed in its scabbard. "By the gods!" Mjoll gasped. "You're alive?! I wasn't expecting you to survive the journey. Clearly, you have more skills than I thought. I see I have much to learn from you. If you would allow me to accompany you on your adventures, I would be honoured."

Valen smiled again and presented Mjoll her sword and said "It's been a while since your fingers last grasped your blade. Perhaps if they grasped it again, they would feel stronger"

Mjoll then wrapped her fingers around the hilt of Grimsever and with her right hand, she pulled the weapon out of its sheath. Valen was right. Her fingers _did_ feel stronger now that they were holding her sword again.

"Sadly, I'm usually too busy protecting Riften to go on adventures" Valen added. "But perhaps if you could assist me in doing so, that would be much appreciated"

While she was giving her sword a few swings, she commented in agreement "I would be glad to help"

...

Later on that night, down in the Ratway Cistern beneath the city, Mercer Frey; the leader of the Thieves Guild, was sitting on a chair at his desk and discussing Valen with Brynjolf and J'kar – the Khajiit thief who Valen caught robbing a woman a few days ago. "That Dark Elf has been a thorn in our side for years!" Brynjolf was saying. "Every heist we've planned lately, and every shopkeeper we've robbed – he has managed to stop. We need to do something about him"

"And what would you have me do? Kill him?" Mercer asked.

"We're not the Dark Brotherhood, Mercer. You and I both know that's not how we do things"

"Speaking of the Dark Brotherhood…"

"You want them to do it for us?"

Mercer nodded. "We're too busy to contact them ourselves, but perhaps our important client can handle it. She's well-connected"

"Aye, she is" Brynjolf agreed. "But I have a better idea. One that doesn't involve unnecessary bloodshed"

"Go on. I'm listening"

"Valen is very popular among the people of Riften, but if we could turn them against him, they will chase that fetcher out of town and we'll never have to worry about him again"

Mercer gave it some thought, then asked "And how do you plan to do that?"

"You'll have to do it without me. I'm too well-known. But since you spend most of your time down here, they don't know you. All you need to do is change your outfit and tell the gullible townsfolk made-up stories about how you were victimised by Valen. Tell them he robbed you, attacked you, killed someone you love and so forth, and spread enough coin around to make it more convincing"

"J'kar could help you with that, boss" the Khajiit suggested. "No" Mercer declined matter-of-factly. "You robbed a woman in broad daylight. People would have seen you, which means they'll know you're one of us and they'll begin to suspect us."

Brynjolf then caressed his chin and looked at J'kar for a moment. "We could still use him, Mercer" he finally said after a moment of silence. "How?" the Guild Master asked.

Brynjolf then explained to them both what was going through his mind. Mercer reflected on it inwardly for a short period of time, then broke his silence by saying "All right. We'll do things your way for now. But if something goes wrong, we'll use Plan B"

"Understood" Brynjolf agreed.


	4. Chapter 4: Framed

**Chapter 4: Framed**

 _Adrenor kneeled before Lamae and said to her with genuine sincerity and devotion in his voice "My Lady, this is a great gift you have given me, and I have never been more grateful for anything else in my life. If there is anything you want me to do in return; I am yours to command. Now and forever"_

 _Lamae looked down upon him and smiled. "Rise, my child" she told him, and Adrenor obeyed her. "What is your wish, my Lady?" he asked._

" _The Deceiver's mortal servants linger within these ruins. Sneak up behind them and feed on their blood. Show them no mercy, and leave none alive. And when you're done, report their deaths back to me"_

" _It will be done" Adrenor obliged. He then got out of the pool and headed deeper into the cave, relying on his heightened senses to track down Molag Bal's worshippers; members of a Daedric cult known as the Order of the Black Worm, snuck up behind them and quite literally drained the life from them as his new mistress instructed._

 _And without hesitation or remorse. These Worm Cultists are the reason Molag Bal was able to tear the magical barrier between Mundus and Oblivion and unleash his innumerable armies of Lesser Daedra upon Tamriel. Thousands died as a result; Men, Elves and Beastfolk alike. No one was safe. Not even the women or the children._

 _So Adrenor had no moral qualms over killing the God of Brutality's puppets, and by killing them, he found he possessed a natural aptitude for slaying evildoers. Vampires may have been considered evil abominations in the eyes of most mortals, and perhaps they were. The creatures of the night possessed unnatural abilities, a talent for dark magic, which they often used, and they fed on people. Sometimes innocent, sometimes guilty. Many vampires care little for what men and elves call "morality", for they were all food for the immortals, anyway. At least you could give them credit for not discriminating based on race. Which is to say the children of the night treated all mortals equally poorly._

 _Whether you are a man, an elf, a Khajiit, Orc or Argonian, you are still little more than cattle to a vampire. But the Worm Cultists in particular were not even human in Adrenor's mind. They were animals._

 _Actually, they were worse than animals, because the latter don't worship a Daedric Lord nicknamed the "King of Rape", who commands his followers to kidnap folk and sacrifice their souls to him so he can exploit, enslave and abuse them for all eternity._

 _These cutthroats are nothing but scum, who will do anything to please the Daedric Prince they served, no matter how distasteful it may be. And they were living proof that you didn't need to be a vampire to be a monster._

 _As Lamae instructed, he killed every single Worm he could find within the ruin, and returned to her at last. "It is done, my Lady" he reported._

" _Excellent. I trust they were no match for you?"_

" _None at all, my Lady. They didn't see me coming, and thus, they did not put up much of a fight, either."_

" _Even from the depths of Oblivion, I could hear their screams" Lamae said. "Good. Now you are free to go and use your powers as you see fit. Go; spread my influence, and deliver more children into my arms. And when you feed on the blood of your enemies – know that I will be watching"_

" _I am yours, my Lady" Adrenor replied obediently, and the Blood Matron's magical form disappeared._

 _Adrenor then walked over to speak with Lilith. When he saw her, he ran to his new female friend and embraced her in a big, friendly bear hug. Needless to say, she did not expect this, and was pleasantly surprised to find herself being held so tightly in his arms - and in such close proximity, no less. She hugged him back, though with less enthusiasm._

 _They released each other and he explained the reason for his sudden outburst of gratitude and happiness by saying "Had it not been for you, I would have still been trapped in my weak, pathetic mortal form and living as a slave to my so-called "family" for the rest of my short life. You are a lifesaver, and I have you to thank for saving mine from the tyranny of my fellow Telvanni. I am forever in your debt."_

 _Lilith looked confused. "A slave?" she asked. "But even before you became one of us, you were a Dunmer, and a Telvanni to boot. How could you have been a slave?"_

 _Adrenor's mood darkened a bit. "Yes, I was a Telvanni. Still am…but I'm not like most of my kind."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _You saw how I was when you first came to me. You saw how weak and broken I was. But you do not see why." The newest child of Lamae Bal began. "My name may be Telvanni, but they didn't exactly treat me as one of their own."  
"Why not?"  
"My so-called "mother", Marise was…not a good person. Even for a member of our house. My weakness was due to her being a Skooma addict. Even while she was pregnant with me. As a result, I was born mentally and physically disabled.""Your mother? A Skooma fiend?"  
"Yes. Pipes in particular. Marise preferred to smoke the stuff rather than drink Skooma potions. Needless to say, her addiction put me off that dreck for life."_

" _Hard to believe a member of our house would ever touch it."  
"I know. But a good number of my mother's slaves were Khajiit. They were her favourite race to exploit, actually. Mostly because the cat-folk of Elsweyr are well-known for their love of Skooma. She made them work tirelessly to produce as much of this accursed drug as they could."  
"She sounds like quite the role model for young elven women and girls."  
_

" _Well, you know how we Telvanni are. We generally don't concern ourselves with what the "lesser" races call morality." Adrenor pointed out. "But "mother" is even worse than you think. A lot worse. That woman sucked the life out of me for years – sort of like how we vampires suck the blood out of our prey."  
"Are you saying she was a vampire, too?"  
"Yes, and no." the male elven vampire prefaced. "She was mortal, but you don't need to be a vampire to be a monster, and she was living proof of that. A cruel, heartless, hateful bitch with no soul, and a tyrant. Not to mention sexist. Marise never liked very much – and I'm not talking about the race of Men, either. She never liked male Dunmer any more than she did male humans, Argonians or Orcs."_

 _Adrenor then continued by saying "And the reason I was so weak wasn't just because of my disabilities. I was subjected to years of unimaginable cruelty and abuse at the hands of that fetcher. Worst of all, she even used me as a weapon against my own father and stepmother, by filling my head up with lies about them and using me to attack them. And that took an enormous toll on me, mentally, physically and emotionally. I could barely eat or sleep as a result, and I'm plagued by all sorts of issues because of her. Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, anger issues, a major eating problem and insomnia…just to name a few. In other words; she broke me. And now she must atone for her sins…by leaving this world forever and rotting in Oblivion where she belongs."_

" _So, you're going to kill her? I can't imagine that being an easy task. Marise may not be one of us, but she's still a Telvanni after all. Even powerful vampires like us need to be careful."  
"But she does not use magic." I prefaced. "Ironic as that sounds, it is true. My mother is one of the few Telvanni who prefers to use more conventional methods to hurt people and such. She didn't give a whit about magic. In fact, she even forbade me from studying the arcane myself. I suppose I know why now. But thanks to you, I can finally punish her for her treachery."_

" _And risk starting a small civil war against your own house."_

" _I won't let them see me. Or her dead body, for that matter. Don't worry. I am discreet." Adrenor said to Lilith assuringly. "Besides, she's the only one from our house that needs to die. No one else's blood need to be spilled. However, perhaps you could help me tend to them in a more…diplomatic way."  
"What do you mean?"  
"This might surprise you, but I never liked slavery, unlike most of my house. I never owned a slave. Always found it abhorrent. Though there was sadly little I could do about it…until now, that is."  
"So what do you need me to do?" Lilith asked matter-of-factly. Adrenor furrowed her brow. She didn't look at him funny in reaction to him stating an opinion that would have been considered unpopular by the Telvanni. And nothing about her tone seemed to change, either. In other words, she didn't appear to be surprised at all. "Strange…you don't appear to be shocked at all."_

" _I don't like slavery, either." She said, which caused Adrenor to be mildly surprised, enough to raise his brow at her. As if she read his mind, she answered the question he had yet did not get a chance to ask by admitting "I'll confess that I used to be a slave owner, too. Just like your mother. But then, something happened to me that changed my opinion of slavery forever."  
"What happened?"  
"Those Worm Cultists you killed in the tunnels abducted me and sacrificed me to The Deceiver, Molag Bal. He stole my soul and imprisoned me in Coldharbour. However, not for long. I met a freakishly tall woman – a Nord, who was half-Giant as well, named Lyris Titanborn. She broke me out of my prison and we escaped. But before I did, I saw hundreds of lost souls trapped in The Deceiver's realm. Most of them were broken down and turned into the Soul Shriven. Mindless, soulless thralls doomed to serve their Daedric master for all eternity."  
"By Azur—I mean, by the Blood Matron!"  
"Sadly, there was nothing I could have done for them at the time. But after I escaped, I never wanted to have anything to do with slavery ever again."_

…

 _4E 195_

The very next day after Valen returned from Mzinchaleft with Mjoll's sword, the Thieves Guild decided to put their plan into action. Mercer changed out of his Guild Master armour and put on some civilian clothes, then hit the town with a couple of his fellow thieves – who were also dressed like civilians and carrying a rather large cart.

He headed towards the market where half the townsfolk were browsing the stalls, stopped in between Madesi's and Grelka's and called out "People of Riften, gather round and listen carefully to me!"

At this, the people did as he said and as soon as he had their attention, he continued by saying "As most of you are probably aware, there is a certain Dark Elf living in our midst named Valen Telvanni. Some of you may call him a hero, but a hero does not take the law into his own hands and prey on innocent people in the name of justice!"

Moments ago, Valen was in the market going from stall to stall and browsing all the wares each merchant had for sale when he spotted a strange man who he had never seen before approaching. When the man mentioned the Dunmer's name during his speech, Valen's attention was fully fixed on the man and the elf shot him a look as if to say "What in Oblivion is this? Who is this man, and why is he spreading lies about me? What have I done to him to deserve this?"

Valen put those thoughts to one side and continued listening to the man as he continued his speech for a few more moments, but the man didn't seem to have any clear reason as to why he was saying such horrible things about him. All he did was claim that Valen was nothing more than a vicious thug, a criminal and a vigilante who violently attacks, mugs and steals from anyone he wishes. So Valen decided now would be a good time to confront the stranger.

"I object!" he called out. The crowd parted and revealed him standing in the centre. Everyone looked at him in different ways. Some of the more gullible among them were already passing judgement on him and looking down their noses at him in disgust. Those who admired him for his heroic deeds were feeling somewhat conflicted and looked at him with hope that the accusations made against him were not true but Valen could tell they were beginning to doubt him also.

"I do not know who you are, mister, but I can tell you are lying. Everyone in this town knows everything I do is for their own protection. Now, I'll be honest and admit that you are right about one thing. I _am_ a vigilante, and I do take the law into my own hands. But that's because the guards too corrupt and lazy to do their jobs, so I do it for them. They're in Maven Black-Briar's back pocket, and she's got the Thieves Guild watching her back. The Jarl is nothing more than a puppet and a figurehead. Everyone knows Maven runs this city, and she is the reason why it's so corrupt. So yes, I _do_ beat up and steal from people…but only people like her because she deserves it"

"So, you admit to being a criminal, then?" Mercer asked, though he didn't require an answer. Before Valen could give him one, the Breton added "But there is one thing you forgot to mention…"

Mercer turned and gestured to his fellow thieves. They then grabbed the white cloth covering on the cart and pulled it back, revealing a dead male Khajiit inside. It was J'kar. Almost everyone in the crowd (except Valen) gasped in horror at what they saw. Mercer pointed Valen out to the crowd and said "You're a murderer, as well!"

He then began to tell the townspeople a sad yet fictitious story about how J'kar was like a brother to him before he was brutally murdered in cold blood by Valen, and to make it more convincing, he pretended to cry. To his credit, he was a damn good actor, as he was able to make himself seem like he was as upset as he appeared to be. Of course, Valen wasn't buying it. The elf had a very strong mind and a lot of experience in dealing with liars, which made it easy for him to see through Mercer's deception. But for most of the crowd, they did not have the experience Valen did in the matter, so it was a lot easier to fool them.

Now Valen's blood was beginning to boil. First, this fetcher lies to the entire town about him by accusing him of beating up and robbing innocent people, as if he's no better than the Thieves Guild, and now he's being accused of murder?! Why, this is insane!

He walked over to Mercer and grabbed him by the collar. He growled menacingly through his gritted teeth "Listen here, you little s'wit! Unless you have some evidence implicating me in this crime, you'd best keep your forked tongue behind your teeth or I'll wear them as a necklace! Do you understand that?!"

Valen then let go of Mercer, who stopped shedding his fake tears, and said to the crowd in a voice loud enough for all of them to hear while pointing at the aforementioned thief in disguise "Listen, all of you! Do not believe what this man is telling you! Whoever he is, he's either a fool, a madman, or worse…"

Valen looked at Mercer. "He's from the Thieves Guild!"

Now it was Mercer's turn to get angry. "How dare you!" he snapped. "I am just a poor man trying to make a living! You are nothing more than a thief, a thug and a murderer!"

"And you are a fraud and a liar!"

At these words, the two men did nothing but glare at each other for the next few minutes. But then Mercer noticed the crowd around them began to split in two. Half the town moved to stand behind Valen – including Mjoll the Lioness, Aerin and at least six other people - while the other six did the same with Mercer. That was when an idea formed in Mercer's head. He smiled deviously, and in mere moments, he used one of his three Nightingale powers to cause nearly the entire city to fall into chaos.

This power was called Subterfuge, and he used it to start a massive riot. Everyone in the market, with the exception of Valen, was affected. The aforementioned Dunmer only remained unaffected due to his incredible mental strength and sheer willpower. But for the rest of the town, not so much. They drew their weapons and began to slaughter each other like animals. And while they did so, Mercer used this distraction to his advantage and slip away. Valen had no choice but to let him go and focus on calming everyone else down. He began to use his extremely vast knowledge of magic to prepare a mass paralysis spell. But just as he was about to unleash it, an arrow struck him in his left leg, disrupting his spell and causing him to scream in pain at a volume loud enough for the whole town to hear.

He collapsed to the floor and clutched his injured leg. Valen tried to crawl away from the chaos, but just before he could escape the market, a pair of boots stopped in front of him. He looked up to see a male guard armed with a bow and arrows – the same one who shot him. Without saying a word, the guard then whacked Valen across the face and knocked him out.


	5. Chapter 5: The Elf And The Cat

**Chapter 5: The Elf And The Cat**

"Psst! Hey, you" Valen heard an unfamiliar voice say as he began to stir. He opened his eyes, slowly but surely, and for a moment he could see a blue figure standing in front of him but he couldn't quite tell who it was for his vision was momentarily blurred.

His vision then returned to normal and he saw that the figure was a male Khajiit dressed in nothing but a loincloth, whose fur was, for some reason, blue. How unusual. He also had scars on his face that looked as though he had recently lost an argument with a cave bear. Valen began to rise up from his bed, but the arrow he had been shot with earlier was still stuck in his leg and his attempt to move his injured limb caused him too much pain.

"Aaaaagh!" he groaned. "Easy, easy. Don't get up so quickly!" said the cat. "You are still hurt. And until we get that arrow out of your leg, you're not going anywhere"

Valen begrudgingly agreed not to move for now and looked around to find himself locked up in Riften Jail and sharing a cell with a blue cat. "What's your name, friend?" he asked. "Inigo" the Khajiit said. "What's yours?"

"Valen Telvanni." The Mer answered. "Listen, Inigo. I need you to grab the arrow and when I count to three, you're going to pull it out."

"I'm sorry, friend. I can't do that. Not without something to cover your leg and stop the bleeding."

"Let me worry about that. Just do it, please" he said.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Positive. Now please, no more questions"

"If you insist"

Inigo gripped the arrow firmly in his hand. "One" Valen counted. "Two…three!"

Inigo yanked it out and Valen immediately used a healing spell to close up the wounds on his leg and stop it from bleeding. And just like that, his leg was already feeling better and now he could move again. He sat up and sighed in relief. "Thank you, friend"

"Don't mention it" Inigo replied. He then walked back to his chair and sat on it. Next to him was a wooden table with his journal, a dragonfly in a jar and a book. Valen looked at the dragonfly in confusion and for a moment, he wondered why it was there but then gave it a wide berth due to its lack of importance. "So, what are you in for?" Inigo asked

"Murder"

"Violent one, hmm? Who was it you killed?"

"A thief named J'kar. Khajiit like you. But I didn't actually kill him"

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I was framed. The Thieves' Guild set me up and pinned the alleged murder on me. They even convinced everyone that he was no thief, but an honest man who I had killed in cold blood. And soon, I will be executed like a common criminal without a fair trial"

"How can you be so sure?"

"You haven't been here very long, have you? This city is corrupt, and thanks to the Thieves Guild, half the town thinks I'm nothing more than a thief, thug and a murderer. Not to mention this is Skyrim, where people have been executed for lesser crimes" Valen answered. The two became silent and Valen looked around the cell. "We need to get out of here"

"And how do you propose we do that?"

On the wall in front of him was a Shadowmark. Valen recognised it as soon as he saw and stood up. He walked over to it and inspected it more closely. To the left of the mark was a broken shackle that looked peculiar to the elf. He reached for it, grasped it in his hand and pulled on it. The wall then opened and revealed a secret passage leading into an underground tunnel. "Come on, this way!"

Inigo quickly grabbed his pet dragonfly and attached him to his loincloth, then took his journal and his book which he wrote himself and named it "Inigo The Brave" and followed Valen through the tunnel.

Valen saw Inigo carrying the dragonfly and gave him a funny look. "Do you have to bring that thing with you?"

"This "thing" is Mr. Dragonfly, and ever since the…accident, he is the only one who has been there for me"

Valen furrowed his brow. "Really? Sheesh! How much time have you spent in jail?"

"A few weeks? A couple of months? One tends to lose track. But it wasn't that long"

In the tunnel, there was a hole on the right, and on the other side of the hole were two chests. One contained the prisoners' belongings, the other containing evidence of their crimes. Valen had only one pick, and for anyone else, the lock on the belongings' chest would have been very difficult to pick. But Valen was able to unlock it with relative ease.

He reached inside the chest and grabbed his leather armour and hood, as well as his dagger. Then it was Inigo's turn to grab his gear. He took a full set of armour, his sword, his shield, his bow and a large supply of arrows stashed in a quiver big enough to carry them all. His arms and armour were all made from ebony. As soon as the two fleeing prisoners were dressed, they carried on escaping through the tunnel.

The tunnel led them through the sewers beneath the city, and eventually, into Lake Honrich. They swam through the lake until they were as far from the city as they could get, then swam to the road southwest of Riften and continued on.

"Come on. We can't stop now. The guards will be looking for us, and they won't rest until they find us and put our heads on spikes" Valen said. However, they were stopped by a group of bandits at a nearby camp. There were three of them, and they were all men. One was an Orc in fur armour, while another was a Bosmer in scaled and the third was a Nord in hide. "You picked a bad time to get lost, friend" said the Orc bandit. "Now hand over your valuables, or we'll gut you like fish!"

Valen and Inigo looked at the bandits, then at each other. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Valen then drew his dagger and used a teleport spell to disappear and reappear behind the Nord bandit. The Bosmer nocked an arrow and tried to shoot Valen, but the Dunmer grabbed the unsuspecting Nord from behind and used him as a shield, causing the Wood Elf to shoot his fellow bandit in the chest. Meanwhile, Inigo shot the Orc in the face and then did the same to the Bosmer before he could even draw another arrow.

With the bandits disposed of, the elf used this opportunity to loot their bodies for new weapons and armour. He took the scaled armour from the dead Bosmer and put it on, then took his bow and arrows, and from the Nord, he took a steel sword and an iron shield. "All right, let's get going" he said, and they carried on until they reached Ivarstead. That was when Inigo mentioned to Valen "My friend. Skyrim is a big and often confusing place. We are bound to lose each other from time to time. Never fear, that map you have is special"

"This old thing? What of it?"

"Let me show you"

"Can you show me later? We are wanted men. The guards are hunting us, and they will scour the entire Rift if they have to, and they will not rest until they've caught us. Until we've made it safely to Eastmarch, we are not safe here. And if anyone recognises us, we're in trouble"

"But we've been running for hours. Shouldn't we stop for food and rest? Besides, no one will recognise us in these outfits. As long as we keep a low profile, we should be fine"

Valen thought about it for a moment, then sighed. "Fine, but we can't stay for too long. And don't be getting drunk, either. We need to keep our wits about us"

"I understand"

"Good"

Valen approached Inigo and gave his blue friend his map. "Make it quick"

Inigo took the map and said "My brother once found one just like it on the remains of some poor old adventurer in Cyrodiil. It does not only mark locations, it can also show the position of items and people to. Watch this. Where are you, Inigo?"

To Valen's surprise, a tiny version of the aforementioned Khajiit appeared on his map in the exact spot where they were standing. It was very small, but still did it speak. It just stood there, as still as a statue.

"See? I have placed myself on your map. If we find ourselves separated, all you need to do is look me up. Pretty fantastic, eh?"

"All right, show-off…" Valen quipped. "Don't get cocky"

"You're welcome" Inigo retorted with mild sarcasm. At these words, the two fugitives in disguise headed over to the Vilemyr Inn.

…

An uncertain amount of time later, they made it to the city of Windhelm – the oldest city in Skyrim, and possibly the oldest human city in Tamriel. But once they made it inside the walls, They saw a Dark Elf woman being harassed by two local Nord men. One was a local drunk named Rolff Stone-Fist, and the other was a seasoned Stormcloak veteran named Angrenor Once-Honored - before he took a sword through the chest and now lives as a town beggar.

"You come here, you pollute our city with your stink and you refuse to help the Stormcloaks!" Rolff said angrily. "But we haven't chosen a side because it's not our fight." The Dark Elf woman shot back. Then Angrenor suggested to Rolff "Hey, maybe the reason why these gray-skins don't help is because their Imperial spies!"

Needless to say, everyone apart from the two Nords was stunned by this ridiculous accusation. Valen, especially. "The Empire hasn't set foot in Morrowind for almost 200 years, you idiots!" he spoke up. "We hate the Imperials even more than you do. So for the love of Azura, shut your stupid mouths up and leave this poor woman alone!"

"Go spew your hatred elsewhere, you intolerant idiot!" said Inigo. "We don't want your kind here!" Rolff answered back. "That tongue of yours will be the end of you. Leave, before I cut it off!"  
"Inigo!" Valen hissed. "What?" the blue cat said in genuine confusion. Why was his friend scolding _him_ all of a sudden? He wasn't the one bullying some poor Dunmer woman for the crime of being an elf!

"You've already ruined my day…leave me alone…" Rolff said pathetically, and the Nords walked away. Once they were out of earshot, Valen turned to Inigo and said "Look, I don't agree with what they said any more than you do, but responding to mere words with petty threats of violence is never okay. They still have a right to say it, whether you like it or not."  
"Okay, okay! I won't do it again"  
"Good."

The Dark Elf woman then approached the two newcomers. "You've come to the wrong place, sera. Windhelm is a haven of prejudice and narrow thinking, unworthy of one such as you."  
"Those Nords were giving you trouble?"  
"Nothing new there. Most of the Nords living in Windhelm don't care much for us, but Rolff is the worst by far." She answered. "He likes to get drunk and walk around the Grey Quarter, yelling insults at us in the small hours of the morning. A real charmer, that one."  
"Why would anyone think you're a spy?"  
"Some of these Nords will come up with any excuse to despise us. And it isn't just the Dark Elves they hate – they make a target of the Argonians, as well. In fact, just about anyone who isn't a Nord is fair game for their bullying."

"I see. What a shame." said Valen. "So, would you mind pointing us to the nearest inn?"  
"Candlehearth Hall is right over there." She pointed to a large building in the middle of the town. "But I wouldn't go there if I were you. The locals aren't likely to treat you very well. But lucky for us, we have the New Gnisis Cornerclub in the Grey Quarter. Follow me and I shall take you there."  
"Hmmm…we can handle a few racist Nords" Valen mused aloud. "But sure, that sounds good. I don't think I wanna give my money to a bigot, anyway."

So the two newcomers to the city followed the Dark Elf woman to the Grey Quarter. "I always thought the City of Kings would be…bigger." Inigo commented.  
"Any news from Morrowind?"  
"Nothing recent, I'm afraid. I left our ancestral homeland years ago, and haven't heard anything since. Besides, I have more personal matters to attend to."  
"Like what?"  
"My job, for instance. I work for the Shatter-Shields now. They are a local clan of wealthy Nords that control most of the finances in Windhelm, along with the Cruel-Seas. If it's shipping you're after, my employers and I can give you a better deal than the East Empire Company."  
"And what do the Cruel-Seas do?"  
"They own a farm outside the city, and provide the locals with fresh crops. For a modest fee, of course. To be honest, I don't know how they manage to do so in this weather, but they do, somehow."  
"They wouldn't happen to be using magic, would they?"

"Not at all. This is Skyrim, not Morrowind. The local Nords are, at best, suspicious of magic and those who use it. More likely, the Cruel-Seas grow their crops by working as hard as they can and dedicating themselves to their trade. Plus, what else could they do? Eat rocks and science."  
"Hmmm…makes sense." Said Valen. "I'm actually from Riften, so I'm well aware how the Nords feel about magic."  
"A dark elf? From Riften?"  
"I was born in Vvardenfell, but raised in Honorhall. My parents didn't survive the eruption of the Red Mountain. From what I've heard, it's still spitting heaps of lava to this day. But they saved my life and sent me here to this land."  
"How are you finding it this far?"  
"Honestly, I haven't had the chance to explore much of it in years. I'm usually too busy protecting the townsfolk from the Thieves Guild and the Black-Briars to have time for that."

They made it to the Quarter, and Valen and Inigo were disgusted with what they saw. Run-down buildings, few guard patrols…even the name "Grey Quarter" was an insult. "This is the Grey Quarter." Said the dark elf woman. "If it looks like an impoverished slum to you, that's because it is. Ulfric is content to keep us living in squalor."  
"Have you tried talking to him about it?"  
"His High Mightiness says he's too busy with the war. Like that's an excuse." She answered. "He tolerates us, but that's the extent of his hospitality."  
"Hmph. Doesn't help that Nords are as stubborn as mules, either."

At last they made it to the New Gnisis Cornerclub. "Here we are." The woman said. "Thank you." Valen commented in sincere gratitude. "By the way, name's Valen. What's yours?"  
"Suvaris Atheron. Good to meet you, Valen."  
"Likewise…shall we?"

They entered the tavern, and Valen approached the innkeeper behind the counter, whose name was Ambarys Rendar. "Things have been a lot worse around here since Ulfric took over." He said.  
"What have you got for sale?"  
"Drink for the thirsty, food for the hungry."

Valen purchased some food and drink for himself and Inigo, then they sat down a table and ate their meals. "How's your head?" Valen asked him.  
"Fine" said the blue cat. "For now."  
"Let me know when it starts throbbing again."  
"Of course, my friend."

Valen couldn't seem to help but stare at Inigo's scars. They were so noticeable, that it was hard not to. It honestly looked as though a wild animal had clawed at his face recently. A bear, maybe? No, they're far too strong. A bear would have ripped the Khajiit's face off. A sabre cat, perhaps? Or maybe it was a wolf.

But whatever the case, the elf decided to ask Inigo "So, how did you get those scars?"  
"It is quite a story. Are you sitting comfortably?"  
"Yes."  
"It happened about a week after the Dupan job…and my betrayal."  
"After you "shot" me?"  
"Yes. Sorry again, by the way."

Valen rolled his eyes, but said nothing and allowed Inigo to continue by saying "After the Dupan deal went sour, I managed to score a little skooma on the road. I used it and sat up all night staring at the stars. I decided I would end my life the next day. After what I did to Felix and you, I thought it best for everyone if I just went away."  
"Glad you're still around."  
"You are very nice to say such things. I am glad, too." said Inigo. "I watched the sun come up and made a noose. My camp was up high, near the edge of a cliff. I fastened the noose to an overhanging tree branch. I used the last of my Skooma, placed the rope around my neck and jumped off."  
"How in Oblivion did you survive that?"  
"I will tell you. Don't be so impatient. A good story often needs to take its time. I remember falling, the twanging noise as the rope went tout, a brief moment of pain, a snapping noise, I thought it was my neck. Then I was falling again. The cliffs rushed past me. I thought "well the rope didn't work, but the ground will do the trick. A wide ledge hurried up to meet me. I closed my eyes just before the impact. There was a smashing noise, then I was underwater."

Valen looked confused, and furrowed his brow. "What?!" he asked. "I was suddenly underwater. What is so hard to understand? Try to pay attention. I had fallen through a thin layer of rock into a cave." Inigo explained. "I thought "Well, the ground didn't kill me, but drowning should end my sorry life." The gods had other plans for me, though."  
"A current dragged me to the surface, coughing and spluttering. That's when I heard them."  
"What did you hear?"  
"I heard clucking. I was in a river being swept through a large cavern. It was dark, but I could make out many cages on the bank. Chickens strutted about outside the cages. I could smell magic. I gathered my strength and hauled myself out of the water."  
"You're making this up."  
"I swear I am not. The skooma may have altered my perception slightly, but I know what I saw. Inside the cages were people, bound and gagged. Ignoring the chickens, I rushed over and tried to open the first cage I came to. It was locked tight. Suddenly, I felt a pain in my foot. A chicken was pecking at me! I kicked it away, but it came back with reinforcements."

Valen couldn't resist the urge to burst out laughing and say "You were NOT attacked by chickens!"  
"I was! I saw some rabbits, too, but they did not seem to want to get involved. I was in a flapping, pecking nightmare. I tried to get back in the water, but before I had gone a few steps, I was knocked unconscious."  
Valen gave a loud belly laugh and said "by a chicken?!"  
"No, a chicken pecks; it does not try to sneak up behind you and knock you out. I awoke tied to a chair. There was a foul smelling man studying me. I could hear the river nearby, but I was now in a crypt of some sort. Chickens and rabbits watched me from behind the smelly man. He said he was going to make me useful. I did not like the sound of that."  
"What did you do?"  
"My options were limited. I had no weapons, but I had a little time. This fellow liked to talk. I unsheathed my claws and went to work on the ropes that held me to the chair. This man seemed to have a bit to say, so I let him talk. He said that he was a powerful wizard and he had learned to transform people into animals. Once transformed, he said I would want nothing but to aid him. He said he had a spy network of chickens and rabbits all over Skyrim."  
"And you believed him?"  
"Of course. The proof was flapping and hopping all around him. I asked why only chickens and rabbits, and he said once I was a chicken, no one would ever take notice of me again. A bear or a mammoth would be too conspicuous. Smaller animals make better spies. I told him if he turned me into a chicken, I would pet his eyes out. He told me that the change was not only physical. I would want to do his bidding, nothing else."

"So what was he hoping to achieve?"  
"He said that he was using the information his spies gathered to cause hate across the land. He fed on hate. It made him stronger."  
"How did you get away?"  
"I had spied a wooden door in one wall that smelled rotten. As soon as I felt the rope give a little, I jumped at the door. It burst open as I hit it and the chair broke apart. I was free. The wizard screamed in anger and loosed a spell at my direction. I dodged his attack and ran down a long stone tunnel. I heard the smelly wizard begin to laugh. "There is only death that way!" he yelled. I replied "Good, I've been seeking that all day!"  
"You'd rather death than transformation?"  
"Yes, my friend. I'd rather be a dead Inigo than an evil puppet chicken. I ran for what seemed like forever. Eventually, I came to a vast chamber with a spindly spiral staircase leading up in the centre. The floor was littered with dried out bodies. They had been dead for hundreds of years, but as it turned out, they were still quite feisty. As I made for the staircase, the dead started to groan and move. I jumped over them, and began to climb the steps."

"If you were seeking death, why didn't you let them kill you?"  
"My father told me that anyone who dies in such a crypt may come back as a walking husk themselves. Not true death, something far worse." Inigo answered. "There were too many Draugr to fight, so I concentrated on climbing. Half way up, I spotted an opening in the ceiling. The air was fresher up there. That is when I uncharacteristically tripped. I tumbled back down the stairs. Soon as the dead reached me, they clawed at me. They held me down. Dry, cracked fingers tore my face to ribbons, giving me these scars. I almost gave up. Then something amazing happened."  
"What happened?"  
"I realised I wanted to live. I realised that my life was still worth something. I realised that I could be the person my brother knew again. This realisation gave me strength I never knew I had. I fought back shouting "No!" again and again. "No! You will not have my life! No! This is not where I die! No!"."

Inigo then continued to tell his story by saying "I struggled to my feet, fighting all the while. I snapped necks, I broke arms, I gouged out eyes. Somehow I made it back to the staircase."  
"Wow!"  
"Yes, it was pretty amazing. If I had not spent all that morning almost dying, I wonder if I'd be here, talking to you now. Anyway, I reached the top of the stairs, forced open the hatch above, and stepped out into daylight. I was only a few hundred feet from my camp. I stared at the tree with the snapped rope hanging from it for a long time. I knew that I owed much and swore that I would repay any debt I could. When I realised you had survived, I decided that if anyone should take my life, it should be you. You know the rest. That is how I got these scars. It is a good tale, yes?"  
"It is a fantastic tale, Inigo."  
"It is. Living it made me the man you see before you, scars and all."

"And here I was thinking it was probably because you may have been attacked by a wild animal, recently. I had presumed a wolf, sabre cat or a bear had scratched you across the face, but by Azura, I couldn't have been more wrong!" 

Inigo laughed. "Wolves, I can handle. And as for sabre cats and bears, well, most people tend to see them coming."  
"I bet you could." Said Valen. He then gave a big yawn, stretched out his arms at the same time, and then commented "Well, I think it was about time I get some sleep."  
"Me too."

At these words, Valen rented a couple of beds for both himself and his blue furry companion, then they both retired to bed.


	6. Chapter 6: The Butcher

**Chapter 6: The Butcher**

 _Just as he told Lilith he would, Adrenor snuck past the guards on Tel Mora and made it to his mother's house without being seen. He knocked on her door and waited until she awoke and answered it._

 _Adrenor knew his so-called "mother" was home because his new superhuman senses allowed him to both hear and smell her. How she could sleep so soundly despite everything she had done was beyond him. As Adrenor said to Lilith earlier, she was proof that you didn't have to be a vampire to be a soulless abomination._

 _He'd forgotten Marise didn't have super senses, so his knocking wasn't particularly loud. But one of the advantages Mer have over Men is an excellent sense of hearing, which meant Marise's ears could still hear the door nonetheless. She woke up and said to no one in particular "By Mephala, who dares disturb me at this hour while I'm sleeping?!"_

 _Furious with whoever disturbed her peace and quiet, she walked over to the centre of the tower, where blue magical energy travelled upwards from the bottom and used the magical device she had placed on the ground floor as an "elevator" of a sort and floated downwards to the bottom._

" _I don't know who you are" she said to the one standing behind the door before opening it. "But you have made a terrible…"_

 _Marise opened the door and saw a tall, shadowy figure standing there. "…mistake…" she said in a softer, less confident tone. "Hello, mother!" the figure spoke, and Marise recognised his voice immediately. "A-Adrenor…" she stammered in fear. "I-Is that you?"_

 _He looked up at her and allowed her to see his face, but he did not at all look happy to see her. He looked straight in her eyes menacingly, making her feel as though he was staring directly into her soul and causing her to feel a shiver go down her spine._

" _Yes, mother, it is I, Adrenor. Your "son". Or so I was. Not anymore."  
"How long has it been since I last saw you?"  
"Not long enough" Adrenor stated coldly.  
"But why are you here now…"  
"Shut up and let me in!" he spat. "You and I need to talk. Inside. Right now."_

 _Needless to say, Marise was not used to being spoken to in such a disrespectful manner, nor was she used to her own son barking orders at him, or staring at him so threateningly. But it was enough – perhaps more so – to make her cower in fear and give in to his demands. So she let him in, though more out of fear than an actual desire to do so._

…

 _To state the obvious, Adrenor had some very frank words with his mother shortly afterwards, by telling her the awful truth about how he really felt about her – that alone made her burst into tears, but Adrenor didn't give a damn anymore. At all. When he realised years ago what a horrible person she was, he no longer felt anything for her besides utter contempt and disgust. As a matter of fact, he was surprised the heartless bitch could apparently feel anything at all._

" _You expect me to buy this Guar dung?!" he asked her scathingly, but required no answer. "You and I are both well-aware you HAVE no feelings, so do us both a favour and quit pretending to!"_

 _The volume of their voices was loud enough to wake up both her two other, much younger, children – a teenage daughter named Lena and a 12-year-old Dark Elf boy, whose name Adrenor did not yet know - and her husband, Deras – a Dunmer war veteran who fought for the Ebonheart Pact and more importantly, his native Morrowind in the War of Alliances some 20+ years ago…and lived to tell his kids about it._

" _What's going on, mama? Who is this?" the little boy asked. "Renus, go back to bed." His father answered instead. "Lena, get papa his sword. Now."  
"But it's too heavy!" Lena protested. "Do as your father said!"_

" _That won't be necessary." Adrenor spoke up. "Adrenor…is that you?"  
"Yes, it is I. Your stepson. Or I was."  
"What are you doing here? And at this hour?"  
"I came here to talk." said the young elf. "To your wife, that is. I have no quarrel with you, so I'd appreciate if you and your daughter went back to bed and did not interfere. This is between me and Marise."  
"Don't do it, Deras!" Marise begged him. "Don't leave me here with…" "Shut up!" Adrenor snapped at her. "You will speak only when spoken to. Do you understand?"_

 _For once in her life, she was silent. Adrenor took her silence as a "yes" and said "Good."_

 _Deras thought about it for a moment, then said to his stepson "No. Whatever you have to say to Marise, you can say to me."  
He walked up to Adrenor and they stood face-to-face with one another. "Don't go there, Deras."  
"Oh, I'm going there." Deras replied boldly. "In fact, I'm already there."_

 _They stared at one another for a minute in silence – as they did so, Deras couldn't help but notice his stepson had grown quite a bit and was now standing at around the same height as himself, but before he could say anything about it, Adrenor then sighed and said "Fine. I suppose it's about time you knew the truth about Marise, anyway."  
"And what truth is that?"_

 _Adrenor looked at him for a moment and chose his next words carefully. "She's not the woman you think she is, Deras."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Everything my real father said about her was true. She's a terrible person."  
"You expect me to believe the man who cheated on her with your stepmother over my wife?!"  
"He didn't cheat. As far as I know, they've never even done it together. She lied to you, Deras." Adrenor countered. "They were together for at least three years, and she was terrible to him. And even worse to me. That's why he left her for my stepmother."  
He shook his head. "No, I don't believe you."  
"What would you know, anyway? You were seldom home. The war made sure of that. You think you know the woman you're married to? You know nothing. I had to live with her every single week since I was a boy!"_

 _Before Deras could make a rebuttal, his stepson glared angrily at Marise, who was sobbing again and said to her "I thought I told you to stop crying!"  
"How dare you speak to my wife like that!"  
"I will speak to her however I want!" Adrenor shot back. "I'm done kissing her arse! From now on, I will treat her like the parasite she is, whether you like it or not!"_

 _At that moment, Deras growled angrily and swung his fist at Adrenor. The blow connected with his left cheek, but only because Adrenor allowed it to. He just stood there – without even flinching – and let his stepfather hit him. Deras furrowed his brow at him, for he appeared to be completely unaffected by the blow, and Deras was by no means a weakling. For a Dark Elf, he was rather big and strong, and he hit his stepson hard. Yet didn't even leave the tiniest bruise on his face._

 _He hit Adrenor again, but he still didn't feel a thing. He just laughed and said "Is that the best you got?"  
Deras then swung at him for the third time, but Adrenor caught his fist in mid-swing and held it back with only a fraction of his superhuman strength needed. Deras struggled and used all the strength he could muster, but it was not even nearly enough. Sweat poured from his brow and veins could be seen bulging in his muscles, but still – he could not even hope to overpower his stepson anymore._

" _What are you?!" he asked. Not only was Adrenor able to take a hit all of a sudden, but he had apparently acquired inhuman strength. "How did you get so strong?! What in Oblivion have you become?!"  
"Her worst nightmare." Adrenor said. And then with one powerful punch to the chest, Adrenor sent his stepfather flying into a wall some thirty feet away. A horrified Marise watched this freakish display of strength from her own son and asked him "What did you do?!"  
"Don't worry. I merely knocked him out. He's not the one I need to kill."_

 _Adrenor turned around and his mother cried out "No, please! Don't kill me! I'm sorry!"  
"NO, YOU'RE NOT!" her son raised his voice at her, but then remembered she had two other children, who were asleep right now. "You're only sorry because you couldn't get away with it! And even if you weren't, that's not good enough. Not even close. "Sorry" will not make my life any better! "Sorry" will not make all the damage you did to me AND my family go away! Every week, I had to listen to you filling my head up with lies about them, then you'd send me to their house and making me into huge arguments with them, then when I came home at the end of the week, you would make me tell you everything they said…and then you'd tell me MORE lies!" Adrenor scorned her. "And it would just continue on and on for years! Do you have any idea how much that affected me?! Do you even care?! What kind of mother does something like that to her own son?! Are you out of your bloody mind?!"_

" _No, don't kill me! I'm sorry!"  
"STOP SAYING THAT!" he yelled. "Stop lying to me! Every time you open your mouth, lies come pouring out. You've been deceiving people for years, but did you really think you could just keep on manipulating people until the end of your days? Huh?! I see through you now. You're so full of shit, I'm surprised you didn't die of constipation years ago!"_

 _Adrenor sighed, then calmed down a bit and said "But I'm not gonna kill you. Not yet, anyway. Wouldn't want your kids to see your lifeless corpse, now, would we? Oh, and speaking of which…"_

…

Windhelm, Skyrim, 4E 195.

Valen and Inigo woke up a few hours later and the latter said to the former "Good afternoon, my friend."  
"How are you feeling?"  
"I am well. And you?"  
"Still not happy with being framed for murder, shot in the leg, knocked out, thrown in jail and forced to run away from my home city, but other than that, I'm okay."  
"Yes, that is most unfortunate." Inigo agreed. "But at least we made it out of the Rift without being caught by the Jarl's men. And for as long as we stay away from them, we've got nothing to worry about."  
"I'm not worried about the Jarl's hired goons." Said Valen. "Besides, it's only a matter of time before I will have to return to Riften to clear my name…and punish the Thieves Guild for their treachery"  
"Punish them, how?"  
"By destroying them, of course. I used to tolerate those fetchers because they never committed any serious crimes in the past…but what happened in the market, not only to me, but to the whole town as well; is completely unforgivable. I didn't see any bodies, but I'm still quite certain people died that day. I've allowed those lowlifes to get away with their unlawful acts for too long. Now they must pay; with their blood!"

"So, what are you going to do? Simply walk right back into Riften and expect everything to be back to normal? The guards will arrest you on sight! And then they'll have you executed like you said they were going to do before we escaped."  
"No, they won't. I am a master of deception, and the guards are easily manipulated fools. Getting past them won't be a problem for me at all. But enough about that. Let's go get something to eat, and then afterwards, we can find something to do for a few septims."

…

While they were eating, Inigo asked Valen "Have you thought about joining the Stormcloaks?"  
Valen was about to take another bite before his friend popped the question, but then stopped just before he sunk his teeth into his food and looked up at him. "Why would I?" he asked, then chomped down on his breakfast.  
"You could make your coin by showing these Nords that they're not the only ones who can kill Imperial soldiers. And we both know how much you hate the Empire. Surely, you wouldn't pass up the opportunity to butcher the Emperor's men?"  
"True. It's no secret I have no more love for the Imperials than the Nords do." Valen conceded. "And Skyrim is my home, too. But our mutual hatred for the Empire is the only thing we have in common. We do not worship Talos, or any of the Nine gods of the Empire, for that matter. And you've seen how Ulfric treats my people. Why would I want to fight for a man who only cares for his own kind?"  
"Fair enough."  
"What about you? What do you make of this war?"  
"It's not really my fight either" the Khajiit prefaced. "But if there is one thing I hate, it is hate itself. And these Nords are full of hatred for anyone who isn't one of them. At least the Imperials treat everyone equally."

"You obviously haven't been to Morrowind, then." said the Dunmer. "Slavery is still legal there, last I checked. Although it's mostly House Dres that still practices it. Humans, Orcs, Argonians – even some Khajiit are probably still living in chains, working against their will on Dunmeri plantations. In fact, just about anyone who isn't a Dunmer has a good chance of being abducted and enslaved. If you aren't an elf, you are regarded as little more than an animal in Morrowind. And what's the worst these Nords do? Get drunk and call us names? *pfft!*"

A little while later, after they ate breakfast, they headed out into the city and explored it in search of work. While wandering around in the market, they met a huge brute of a Nord named Brunwulf Free-Winter – an old military veteran who fought in the Great War about 20 years ago. Now he's retired, and spends most of his time trying to help the non-Nordic citizens of Windhelm live a better, more equitable life. Particularly, the Dark Elf refugees in the city, and the Argonians on the docks. "You one of those "Skyrim is for Nords" types?" he asked.

Valen and Inigo looked at each other, and the former tried hard not to laugh in the old Nord's face. "No offence, sir, but do we look like Nords to you?"  
"Hmph. Even some outsiders seem to agree with Ulfric that they don't belong here."  
"Well, I actually grew up in Riften, so I definitely don't agree." said the elf. "In fact, my feline friend and I were just discussing this earlier, weren't we?"  
"Yes, Skyrim is home to more than just the Nords."  
"And you're right, at least as far as I'm concerned. Don't let Ulfric or some of these other short-sighted Nords bother you. Most of us are happy to welcome newcomers."  
"Seems Ulfric doesn't care about outsiders."  
"Whenever a group of marauders attack a Nord village, Ulfric is the first to sound the horn and send the men. But a group of Dark Elf refugees gets ambushed? A group of Argonians, or a Khajiit caravan? No troops. No investigation. Nothing." Said Brunwulf. "There's a group of cutthroats out there right now that Ulfric doesn't lift a finger to bring to justice, so long as they don't threaten Nord land."  
"We could take care of them…for a price."  
"That's a brave offer. I'd be happy to throw in my coin behind that. You deal with them, I'll make sure you get paid. Maybe this soldier will throw in some lessons, as well."

Brunwulf then ended the conversation by saying "Show those marauders what Windhelm justice tastes like." and the dynamic duo left the city to do just that.

The bandits were holed up at Knifepoint Bridge, but then stopped just outside the camp to talk for a minute. "Before we go in…" Valen began. "What do you wanna do? Sneak up on them and take 'em by surprise, or slaughter them with our swords and spells and such?"  
"Hmmm…my armour is too heavy for me to sneak around. They'll probably hear me coming, so it's probably best to take them head-on."  
"Good idea. I need to blow off some steam, anyway, after what happened in Riften."

They entered the bandits' lair and found many of them inside. "Good." Valen thought. "The more, the merrier."  
He unleashed his fury on the cutthroats and destroyed most of them with both his magic and his combat skills alike, although he did leave some alive if only so Inigo could kill them.

Against most travellers and common folk, the bandits might've seemed like a legitimate threat, but they were nothing but cowards who preyed on those who were unable to fight back. No match for a powerful Dark Elf wizard of House Telvanni, or a highly-trained warrior from Elsweyr.

While exploring the cave, they found the bandits were holding sabre cats prisoner in cages and making them fight against their will. Not anymore, however.

Once they cleared out the cave, they returned to Brunwulf in Windhelm and told him the good news. "Now that's good. Everyone will be safer from them, Dark Elf and Nord alike. Here, some gold as promised. And let me show you a bit about wearing heavy armour. Save you some aches on long marches."  
"Actually, the gold will suffice. I do not wear heavy armour, but you can teach Inigo a thing or two, if you want."  
"If you insist."

Brunwulf gave them both a sizable sum of money, and taught Inigo a couple of things about wearing heavy armour. Before scouring the city in search of more work, Valen asked Brunwulf "Why help the Dark Elves?"  
"Help the Dark Elves? Oh, you must have heard me talking to Malthyr. The Dark Elves live in a run-down slum called the Grey Quarter. Ulfric's content to keep it that way. I guess they think I can open Ulfric's eyes to their plight, and get him to lift a finger on their behalf. I'm trying, but Ulfric is set in his ways. For him, there's two kinds of people in this world – Nords, and the folk beneath them."  
"Hmph. In fairness, the war must take up an awful lot of his time. _And_ resources. Maybe he just doesn't have enough of either to help my people, even if he wanted to. Besides, at least he lets us stay inside the walls and tolerates us. He could have kicked us out at any time, but he didn't."  
"Hmph. Perhaps you're right." Brunwulf conceded. "But what Ulfric doesn't seem to understand is that war never solves problems, it breeds them. Then you have to find other means to solve those problems."  
"Hmmm…you mentioned you were a soldier?"

"Aye. I fought in the Great War 20 years ago. Folk call me a war hero. I guess that's because I killed many High Elves and didn't die." The old soldier recalled. "Huh. "The Great War." There was nothing great about it. Thousands died on both sides. And did we really save the Empire, or plant a seed for Ulfric's uprising, and another war?"

On that basis, the elf and the cat continued scouring the city in search of more work, but were halted by a guard as they were passing through the graveyard. "Hold it there, keep your distance!" the guard said. Behind him stood a small crowd of three people gathered round the dead body of a young woman. The poor girl had been cut to pieces and just left there. She had nothing on except her undergarments. "What happened here?" Valen asked.  
"Another girl killed." said the guard. "This is Susanna, from Candlehearth Hall. Served me a drink a few nights ago, but I can't say I knew her."  
"Another? This has happened before?"  
"Susanna's the third. It's always the same. Young girl killed at night, body torn up."  
"Are the murders being investigated?"  
"We're stretched thin as it is from the war. Nobody has the time to spend on this. Unpleasant, but it's the truth."  
"Could you use some help?"  
"If you want to help, ask one of these gawkers if they saw anything useful. I'm going to continue examining the body."

Valen and Inigo then split up and spoke with the witnesses. The former spoke with a middle-aged male Imperial named Calixto Corrium. "It's always sad when someone has to die." He said. "Did you see what happened here?"  
"Oh no. I saw a fellow running away, but didn't get a good look at him."

Meanwhile, Inigo spoke with an old priestess named Helgird. When asked if she had seen anything, she replied "No, but I noticed her coin purse was still intact, so whoever did this wasn't after gold."

Valen then spoke with the third and final witness – a local female beggar known as Silda the Unseen. He asked her if she saw the murder and/or the murderer, but she told him "No. I heard a scream and came running, but she was already…like this when I got here."

Having gained little to no information about the murder from the witnesses, they spoke with the guard again. "Same as always, nobody saw anything. Bastard's escaped again."  
"There might be more to this, if you'll let me help."  
"Look, friend. If you think you can do better than the legion of guards, be my guest. You'll need to talk to Jorleif, though. Can't just let anyone go around claiming to be on official business. If he's willing, then we'll talk."

So with that being said, they headed to the Palace of Kings and found Jorleif in the main hall. "The Stormcloaks are finding victory across the land." He said. "Mhm. Yeah. Anyway, I hear there's a killer on the loose in Windhelm."  
"These are difficult times indeed. When men stalk their brethren like beasts. My men are stretched thin as it is. If you could offer your aid, the guards will be told to assist you as necessary. I'm happy to lend a hand as much as I can as well."

They returned to the graveyard, to find only the guard they talked to earlier was still there. Both the body and the witnesses had disappeared. At least the guard hadn't gone anywhere yet. Valen said to him "Jorleif has granted me permission to aid in the investigation."  
"All right, then. I noticed a trail of blood leading away from here. Helgird's taken the body into the Hall of the Dead, to prepare for burial. She's a little crazy, but if she knows anything, it's dead bodies."

At this, they entered the Hall and found Helgird tending to Susanna's body. "Large diagonal cut from the left shoulder…" she said. "Noticed anything strange about the body?"  
"Well, she's dead. But I guess that's not unusual, at least not for someone here. I mean, someone that's not me, that is. Sorry, was only joking with you."

Valen furrowed his brow at her. Then he remembered the guard mentioned she was a little crazy, and now the elf knew why. "So, the body?"  
"Oh yes, right, of course! The only thing that's unusual is the shape of the cuts. The ancient Nords used these tools to embalm their dead. I don't know who in Windhelm would even have something like that. Other than me, of course."

Valen squinted his eyes. Was it just him, or did that sound rather suspicious? The killer used embalming tools crafted by the ancient Nords to cut them up, and as far as anyone knew, Helgird was the only one who had access to said tools. Hmmm…interesting.

But he didn't have nearly enough evidence to accuse anyone of such a crime at present, and he refused to do so until he had a sufficient amount. Besides, this old lady was clearly too busy tending to the dead to make more of them. "You wouldn't happen to have had some of your tools stolen now, would you?"  
"Not at all. Why would anyone even want them?"  
"Well, we know the killer uses them to cut up the bodies, so it must have something to do with that."  
"Be that as it may, I would have noticed if any of my tools have gone missing."

Valen paused for a moment, then said "This is probably a stupid question, but…I presume you wouldn't have given your tools up willingly, would you?"  
"No. Like I said, nobody other than myself would want or need them."  
"Other than the murderer. Very well. Let me know if you find anything else."  
"I wouldn't hold out too much hope. Now I've really got to get back to the body. Lot of work to prepare for the grave."  
"Of course. The dead won't bury themselves. All right, I'll let you get back to it, then."

They left Helgird to her own devices and headed towards the door. Once they were outside, they followed a nearby trail of blood – which led them to a house in the Valunstrad district called Hjerim. Valen tried to open the door, but it was sealed tightly. Luckily, picking locks was one of the elf's many talents. He said to the Khajiit "Inigo, would you mind keeping a lookout for the guards while I pick this lock?"

Inigo did as Valen asked and the latter picked the lock. He only broke a few picks in his attempt to break the lock on the door, then they snuck into Hjerim. The inside of the house looked as though it was haunted or something. It was dark, empty, with very little furniture and appeared to have been abandoned for years. "Gods, this place is a dump!" he said. "All right. Let's split up and look for clues."

While Inigo began searching the kitchen to his right, Valen saw a trail of blood and followed it to a chest covered in the same red liquid sitting directly in front of the wall. From the marks on the floor, it looked like the box had been pushed against the wall recently. Valen searched it and found some flyers and a journal inside. He read one of the flyers entitled "Beware the Butcher!" and learned that a local citizen of Windhelm named Viola Giordano had been writing them up and posting them all over the city…and the killer's been taking them down and stashing them in his lair. Valen took one of them to use as evidence.

Valen then read the journal and found out that it belonged to the Butcher, who had been dabbling in necromancy. But instead of using conventional magic, he murdered folk and used their bodies – bones, organs, blood, the works – in an attempt to resurrect his dead sister. He seemed to be particularly fond of killing young Nord women for his evil experiments. No wonder Susanna was butchered in the streets. "Sounds like he's quite the stand-up guy" Valen thought.

He then put the journal away in his satchel and continued searching the house for additional clues. To his right, there were some bottles of mead on the floor near a table. Valen briefly examined them, but found nothing interesting and quickly moved on.

There was a small shelf up ahead near a couple of wardrobes, which had more of those flyers stashed in it. One pile looked misshapen. Valen searched the pile and found a strange amulet hidden underneath, and when he took a closer look, he found it had a skull on it. "Hmmm…I wonder who would know anything about this amulet."

He put it away and carried on investigating the house to see what else he could find. One of the wardrobes nearby appeared to be nailed to the wall, for some reason. The elf opened it and found nothing inside…except a false back panel. He opened the panel, but what he found behind it absolutely horrified him.  
"Inigo!" he cried out. "Come here, I've found something!"

The aforementioned Khajiit warrior found nothing inside the kitchen besides some dusty, stinky pots and pans filled only with cobwebs and Skeever droppings earlier, so he headed upstairs to see if he could find anything more useful, but all he could find was some chairs stacked on a bed.

But then he heard Valen calling out to him and came running downstairs, following the direction of his voice. When he found the elf, he noticed the look of pure horror on his face and asked him "What is it, Valen?"  
The Dunmer pointed to the room behind the wardrobe and said "Look!" and when Inigo saw what was inside, he was just as disgusted as his friend and now he could see why he was so shocked. The room had an altar inside it, with bones and skulls lying on it, and more of them lying on the floor. Some of them were covered in blood, and there was even a basket on the floor filled with skulls. Needless to say, it was not a pretty sight. Valen had seen some pretty weird stuff in his time, but this took the cake.

"By the Gods!" Inigo remarked. "The killer's even worse than we thought." said Valen. "We'd better find him soon, before he strikes again. Come on, let's take a closer look at this altar."

They found another journal written by the murderer, in which he made a list of all the body parts and such that he used for his gruesome experiments. "By Boethiah!" Valen remarked. "It appears the court mage has been experimenting on dead bodies to some ghastly end. Guess we're gonna have to go talk to him."

Valen took the journal and Inigo said to him "This is not a nice house. It reeks of pain and distress. I bet most houses in Windhelm are the same."  
"Hmph. Probably wouldn't be so bad, actually…if only the killer had bothered to clean up after himself and had the place furnished."  
"Yes, but then where would he conduct his evil experiments?"  
"He could just stop conducting them…and stop killing people, while he's at it." said Valen. "By the way, did you find anything useful?"  
"No. Just some dusty pots filled with cobwebs and Skeever droppings in the kitchen. And a bed with a couple of chairs stacked on top of it upstairs."  
"Guess we're done investigating the house, then. Come on."

They left the house and found a guard standing in front of the Shatter-Shield's home next door. Valen remembered Jorleif said he would instruct the guards to assist the elf in his investigation, and approached him. He asked the guard about the flyer and the strange amulet he found inside the Butcher's lair. The guard told him to speak with Viola Giordano, a woman who's been posting the flyers all over the city, and Calixto Corrium at the House of Curiosities.

Calixto was apparently a collector of unusual trinkets and oddities, which he displayed in his house for the local citizens of Windhelm to see with their own eyes. Valen remembered he was one of the witnesses at the crime scene, and decided to talk to him first.

So he headed to the collector's house on the other side of town and found him inside, sitting on a chair. "Welcome to the House of Curiosities!" he said. "I offer a brief tour for a few coins, or you can simply browse at your leisure."  
"Know anything about this amulet?" Valen asked him.  
"Let me see…ah, yes, this is the Wheelstone. It's an heirloom symbol of power in Windhelm. Traditionally, it's carried by the court mage. I would…eh…be interested in acquiring it. If you're willing to part with it, that is. For a piece like this, I could pay…500 gold?"

Valen stopped for a minute to think, then asked Calixto "Shouldn't the court mage have it?"  
"Wuunferth? Bah. It's purely ceremonial, and he has no use for it. Besides, I wouldn't be the one to give it to him. Gives me the creeps. They say he dabbles in necromancy."  
Again, Valen needed a moment to think, but then he said "You wanna add it to your collection, hmm? Fine. You can have the amulet if you want it so badly - provided you have the coin, that is."  
"Wonderful. This will make a fine addition to my private collection."

Valen swapped the amulet for the 500 septims, then asked the collector "You mentioned a tour?"  
"Indeed I did! For a few septims, I'll tell you about some of the most interesting curiosities in my collection."  
"How much is "a few"?"  
"Two septims."  
"Really?!"

Calixto nodded. "All right, then. Show me what you've got." Said Valen, who then gave the collector two gold pieces. "Splendid!" said Calixto. "If you'll just follow me, I'll tell you tales and wonders such as you've never seen."  
Calixto then got out of his chair and led the two tourists to a bookcase to the left with some ancient Nord embalming tools – which caught Valen's eye, but not because he hadn't seen them before.

The elf remembered Helgird told him the Butcher used these tools to cut up his victim's bodies, and that she did not know who could have had these in their possession, other than the aforementioned Priestess of Arkay herself. This gave Valen a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Was Calixto the killer? Or perhaps this was just some coincidence? The elf certainly hoped it was the latter, but the bad feeling he had just wouldn't seem to go away.

Calixto gave a brief explanation about the tools, though he didn't say anything Valen didn't already know, and moved on to the next part of his collection – a book. And not just any book, either. Its current owner called it "The Book of Fate." and explained to his guests just how special it was by saying "Here is the Book of Fate, discovered in a secret room in the Arcane University. The writings in this book describes the destiny of its reader, so the words change from one person to the next. Some see only blank pages, and no one knows why. Perhaps some of us are born with no destiny, or maybe the blank pages signify an imminent death."  
"Do you mind if I give it a read?" Valen asked.  
"Not at all."

Valen picked up the book and opened it, but the pages appeared to be completely blank. "Nothing here." He said. The Mer then handed the book to Inigo to see if he'd get a different result, but alas; the pages remained blank. "Nope. This book does not say a single word."

The Khajiit put the book down and they moved on to the third item – Ysgramor's Soup "Spoon"…which actually turned out to be a fork. Ah, now here is an item out of legend. This is Ysgramor's Soup Spoon. Now, I know what you're thinking – this is no spoon, it's a fork! Nobody can eat soup with a fork! Well, my friend, you did not know Ysgramor."

Calixto then proceeded on to the next item, a flute. And a rather ordinary-looking one at that. "Don't let this innocent-looking flute fool you, this is the Dancer's Pipe. Legend holds that the Dancer's Pipe has won wars, toppled empires and the change the very course of history. None know its origins, but the stories say that men who hear its music are compelled to dance uncontrollably, no matter the peril. To activate this strange power, one must only speak the magic words, which are…oh my, I very nearly got us both into a nasty predicament, didn't I?"

And on that note, he concluded the tour by saying "And with that, the tour is over. I thank you for your patronage and I hope to see you again soon!"  
"You mind if we ask you a few questions before we leave?"  
"Ask away." Calixto said.

"How did you assemble this collection?"  
"My sister and I inherited a modest sum of money. We decided to travel and seek out whatever adventures we can find. As we journeyed across Tamriel, we encountered tales of exotic and wondrous artifacts. We decided to collect as many as we could. My sister passed away some years ago, so I settled down and opened the House of Curiosities. I think she would be happy to know our collection has brought smiles to faces both young and old."

Valen frowned at him. "So not only does he have those tools in his possession, but he lost his sister some time ago, too. Hmmm…" he thought. "Sorry to hear that." He told Calixto, though his tone was somewhat more matter-of-fact than it was genuinely sympathetic. "But as I'm sure you're aware, we are currently investigating the Butcher. And so far, we've managed to learn two things about him. The first being that he used those embalming tools you have back there to cut up his victim's bodies. The second being that he had a sister, but lost her recently and has been dabbling in necromancy and performing disgusting experiments in order to bring her back. And you have both the tools _and_ a dead sister. Hmph. Guess that explains why you wanted the amulet so badly. You wouldn't happen to know anything about necromancy, would you?"

Needless to say, Calixto became rather nervous from this interrogation. Sweat poured from his brow and he began to shiver anxiously. But then his anxiety became anger and he snapped at the elf by saying "H-how dare you accuse me of such a crime! Get out, and never come back!"  
"We're not going anywhere until you tell us the truth. Did you or did you not murder three young women, including Friga Shatter-Shield and the most recent victim – Susanna, from Candlehearth Hall?!"  
"No!" Calixto retorted. "It was Wuunferth! He's the only one in this city who knows anything about magic! I'm just a simple collector! Honest!"

Valen paused for a moment, but continued to glare suspiciously at Calixto. "You better not be lying to me, Imperial, or I'll have your head! Do you understand?!"  
"I swear to the Eight, I'm telling you the truth!"  
"Swear to me!"  
"I swear to you!"

The Dark Elf thought for a moment about what he should do next, then said "Lucky for you, we have nothing solid to prove you're behind these murders. But mark my words, we'll be keeping our eye on you, so you better watch your back. Do you hear me?!"  
"Loud and clear."  
"Good. Be seeing you."

Calixto's patrons then left the house and Valen said to Inigo "So, what do you think of his collection?"  
"I'm tempted to say it was amazing, but after what just happened, I'm not so sure."  
"Hmph. Doesn't really matter if he's the Butcher or not, if you ask me. I still wasn't impressed. All he had were some ancient Nordic embalming tools - which can be found in any crypt – a book full of blank pages, a spoon that is actually a fork, and a flute that's probably as ordinary as it looks. The only mildly interesting thing he had was Ysgramor's Soup Spoon, if it's even authentic. Anyone could have had a "spoon" like that."  
"Hmmm…I guess you're right."  
"But enough about that. Let's focus on the more important issue."  
"What do we do now?"  
"We still need to talk to Viola Giordano, and Wuunferth."

Valen used Clairvoyant to show him and Inigo the way to Viola. They found a middle-aged Imperial woman in Candlehearth Hall, sitting at a table with a mug of ale in her hand. "Viola Giordano?" the elf asked her. "Yes, that's me. What do you want?"  
"We're leading the Butcher investigation, and we understand you know a thing or two about him."

The Dark Elf pulled the flyer out of his satchel and placed it on the table. "Recognise this?"  
"I've been following him for months now. The guards won't help, the people won't help. I'm the only one who thinks he can be caught."  
"The guards told me they're too busy with the war. I suppose that makes sense."  
"What good is winning a war if we're still terrorised by one of our own?"  
"Hmph. At least they have a good excuse, but what of the people?"  
"Oh, they care, all right. Just none of them thinks to do anything about it. They say I'm just snooping around, bothering people, but I'm trying to save lives."

Valen then remembered something important he found recently, and placed it on the table. "We found this journal in the killer's lair."  
"What's it say?"  
"It appears the court mage may have been experimenting."  
"Wuunferth. There have been rumours swirling about him for years. As long as I can remember. But he's a dangerous man. That's why they call him "The Unliving." But I wouldn't approach him directly. This information needs to go straight to the Steward. He'll listen to you."

On that basis, Valen thanked Viola for her cooperation and he and Inigo returned to the Palace of Kings. "So, what are we going to do about Wuunferth? Report him to the Steward?"  
"No. We're going to talk to him first."  
"But didn't Viola warn us not to?"  
"She's wrong. I will not condemn a man who could still yet be innocent. We need to hear his side of the story first."

Again, Valen used Clairvoyance to show him the way to Wuunferth and found an old Nord mage in black hooded robes in his bedroom on the second floor of the Palace of Kings. "Wuunferth? I heard you dabble in necromancy." Valen said to him.  
"I beg your pardon?!" The court mage, who was clearly offended, replied. "Necromancy? I am a member of the College of Winterhold, in good standing. They haven't allowed necromancy in hundreds of years."  
"We found a journal and a strange amulet in the killer's lair. They wouldn't happen to be yours, would they?"  
"My what now?" Wuunferth asked. "I never kept a journal, I can assure you. What did this amulet look like?"  
"Eight-sided, Jade, ringed with ebony. A worn carving."  
"I know it well. Or at least, I've heard of it. I would wager that carving once depicted a skull. That is the Necromancer's amulet, of legend. It appears you were at least half-right. There is necromancy at the heart of this."

"Guess Calixto was wrong, then."  
"Ehhh…Calixto and his books are often confused about such matters. It happens to the best of us."  
"Speaking of whom…he's the Butcher!"  
"What?!"  
"He's the only one in this city besides Helgird who owns a set of embalming tools, which the killer uses for his gruesome rituals. And he told us his sister died a few years back. If you're not behind these killings, it's gotta be him!"  
On that basis, Valen and Inigo left the old wizard and returned to Calixto's House of Curiosities. But when they tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge. "The coward has locked it!" Valen said. He then turned to his blue friend and asked him "Are you ready, Inigo?"  
The Khajiit was standing poised with his bow drawn in his left hand. "Yes, my friend."

Then he spoke to the owner, in a louder voice so the murderer could hear him say "Calixto! We know you're the Butcher! And we know you're in there! Open this door right now, come quietly with us to the Steward, and we shall spare your life. Or we'll break this door down and send you to your gods on the count of three! One!"

Calixto did not answer. "Two!" said Valen, but still nothing happened. "Three!"

With a surprising amount of strength, Valen threw his own body at the door and sent it flying off the hinges, but then Calixto, who was already standing away from the door, began to hurl powerful spells at the elf. Valen used a Ward spell to protect himself from the Butcher's sorcery and casted fireballs and Thunderbolts at him.

Calixto also used Wards to shield himself, and a duel between the two wizards broke out in the House of Curiosities. Valen remembered the Butcher mentioned in his journal he was once a member of the College of Winterhold, which explains how he became such a powerful wizard.

But then, the spellcasting suddenly stopped on both sides. Inigo then stepped in, and was about to shoot one of his arrows at Calixto…only to find he had somehow vanished. "Where did he go?"  
"He teleported." Said Valen. "After all this time, you waited until now to get involved?"  
"You were casting fireballs and thunderbolts at each other. I didn't want to get caught in the crossfire, so I waited until the opportunity to put an arrow in the bastard's face presented itself."  
"Well, it's too late for that now. He's gone, and now we need to track him down again. Any idea where he might have disappeared to?"  
"Hmmm…Hjerim, perhaps?"  
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go, before he murders someone else!"

They ran all the way from Calixto's House of Curiosities to Hjerim, but before they could make it to the killer's lair, Helgird came running out of the Hall of the Dead and managed to catch them in the graveyard. "Don't go in there!" she cried. "The dead…they've risen!"  
"What do you mean?"  
"It's Calixto! He's using necromancy to build a massive army of undead! He's already raised hundreds, if not _thousands_ of them! Arkay protect us!"

"By the Three!" Valen exclaimed. "Listen to me; we need you to tell the Jarl what happened, and convince him to send whatever men he can. We'll hold them off until they arrive. Do you understand?"  
"But…"  
"No buts! Do as I ask, please!"  
"Fine!"

At these words, they ran off in different directions – Valen and Inigo ran towards the Hall, while Helgird headed straight for the Palace of Kings as fast as her legs could carry her.

When they reached the main chamber, it became apparent to them that Helgird was, in fact, right. As far as their eyes could see, there were literal _hordes_ of Draugr clogging up most of the enormous crypt, looking at the duo menacingly with their ghastly white, rotting faces. "Malacath's hairy toenails, Helgird was right!" Valen said in genuine horror.

 _To be continued…_

(Author's note: I thought the "Blood on the Ice" quest in the vanilla game was very underwhelming, so I made Calixto a powerful necromancer/sorcerer so he would be more of a challenge. Also, the reason there are so many Draugr in the Hall of the Dead is the city is much bigger in this story than it is in the vanilla game. As Serana once said; "I'd expected Ysgramor's city to be...bigger". Everything in the game is very small, which is kinda disappointing. And I'm by no means a lore expert, but from my understanding, Skyrim is supposed to be MUCH bigger, so I decided to increase the size of the cities - at least to some extent.)


	7. Chapter 7: Nightmares

**Chapter 7: Nightmares**

Meanwhile, in Riften, crime had risen since Valen and Inigo escaped prison. The city was used to robbers trying to squeeze as many septims as they can from law-abiding citizens and honest merchants. It is home to the Thieves Guild after all. But without Valen watching the streets and keeping people safe, they were free to steal whatever they wanted, from whoever they wanted and whenever they wanted. Matter of fact, J'kar recently managed to frame Brand-Shei for theft and terrorise the whole town by extorting from Keerava, Bersi Honey-Hand and Healga. And the Guild, it seems, had finally made its' comeback, they were making more money than usual (a _lot_ more) and Riften was well within their grasp once again. Now you might be thinking to yourself "But isn't J'kar dead?"

Actually, he never died. The cat merely faked his death to trick half the town into thinking Valen was a murderer. He had Brynjolf to thank for coming up with that scheme.

Although violence and murder rarely happened in Riften, the attack in the market had caused quite a bit of bloodshed. Several civilians had been stabbed to death and a few others were left injured and needed the help of the Priests of Mara at the temple, as well as the town's alchemists. The stalls were smashed, the goods from those stalls were stolen along with most of the gold the owners had made from selling them, and they were left with nothing. A few guards had also received a dagger in the chest or hacked to pieces by citizens carrying knives and other sharp, deadly weapons.

Thankfully, it didn't last too long. It wasn't supposed to. Mercer just needed to distract Valen so he could get away. After all, his plan worked. He framed the Dark Elf for murder and put him in jail. And he didn't much care for the carnage he caused so long as it didn't affect the Guild directly.

Maven Black-Briar, however, was understandably displeased with Mercer to say the least and summoned him to her family's home to discuss the matter in private while she sat at the dinner table and ate with her family. "We had a deal, Mercer." She chided him. "You were supposed to help me keep the people under control, not turn them into wild animals!"

"I can assure you, that wasn't my intention at all" Mercer calmly replied. "I just needed to create a distraction so I could get away. Besides, everything went according to plan. We pinned the fake murder of J'kar on Valen and threw that insufferable Dunmer behind bars. Now we don't have to worry about him anymore"

"Be that as it may, you still put my family in danger. Good thing your spell didn't last long; or the entire city would have fallen into chaos because of you! And as for Valen: surely you must be aware by now that he has escaped our grasp?!"

"Does it matter?" Mercer asked a rhetorical question. "He won't be coming back to Riften any time soon. Half the town thinks he's a murderer, and he ever sets foot in the city again, we'll have his head on a spike. And with him gone, J'kar has managed to make the people fear us again and bring us more wealth than usual. Riften is now back under our control once again after all these years"

"Riften was already under _my_ control." Maven corrected him. "It was you and your Guild that was losing your grip in the first place"

Silence filled the room as Maven thought carefully about what she'd say next. Only the sounds of the Black-Briars eating their food and drinking their mead could be heard in that brief period of time. When that moment passed, Maven broke the silence by concluding the discussion with "I'll overlook the incident in the market for now. But if you pull another stunt like that again, it will be _your_ head I put on a spike first. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Maven. I understand"

"Good. You are dismissed"

At these words, Mercer turned towards the front door and walked over to it. On the way out, he saw a tall woman wearing a unique set of armour that he was immediately able to recognise. It was black and red and her face was covered by a crimson red mask attached to the hood she wore over her head. Mercer knew the guild she belonged to and sensed he knew why she was here. He looked at her for a moment, and she looked at him. "Astrid. Good to see you again, my dear."

"You too, Mercer" she replied. "How have you been?"

"Well enough." Astrid answered. "But as I'm sure you're aware, I didn't come here for idle chit-chat. I'm here on Dark Brotherhood business"

"Of course you are." Mercer agreed. "Say, maybe after you're finished doing Maven's bidding, you and I could go and get a drink sometime. Catch up. If you're not too busy. What do you say?"

"Perhaps. Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Go on. Don't let me keep you"

Mercer then left the building and Astrid went to the dining room to speak with Maven. "Ah, Astrid. There you are!" the latter greeted the former. She turned to the rest of her family and dismissed them by saying "Leave us"

At her behest, Ingun and Hemming left the room and let their mother speak with the Dark Brotherhood representative. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. I've been trying to contact you for some time. It seems the Night Mother no longer hears the pleas of her children. I had to send a courier instead"

"Yes, about that…"

"But enough of that. You're here now, and that's all that matters." Maven interrupted her. "And you know why you're here, yes?"

"You want me to kill a certain Dark Elf who has been a thorn in your side for years?"

"Yes. Until he escaped prison. No one has seen or heard from him since, and he hasn't dared set foot in Riften given that my associates in the Thieves Guild managed to frame him for murder"

"What's his name?"

"Valen Telvanni." Maven answered. "I must warn you that he's quite dangerous and more than capable of defending himself. And he's not alone, either. A Khajiit whose fur is an unusual shade of blue named Inigo went with him. Both of them are armed to the teeth. Valen is the target, but you might have to contend with his new friend too, so for Sithis' sake, be careful!"

"Got it. Where can I find him?"

"Like I said, no one has seen or heard from him since they got out. I must admit, he is a clever one. Valen would have had to leave the Rift in order to escape justice, and cover his tracks. Never staying in one place for too long and he'd be constantly looking over his shoulder. He won't make it easy for you to find him, but I'm confident you will nonetheless. You should try searching for him in Windhelm."

"Understood. Valen Telvanni will die"

"Of course he will, for I have commanded it! Now go, and do not come back for your payment until the deed is done!"

Astrid then left the house and eventually, the city. Shadowmere was waiting for her outside. She climbed on his back and spurred him on to the city of Kings.

…

Meanwhile, her target and his blue friend had finally made it to Dawnstar and sought food and shelter in the Windpeak Inn. But as soon as they entered the tavern, they saw several people gathered around each other and talking about nightmares.

One of them was a Dunmer priest, and he said "Everyone, please! I'm doing what I can to end these nightmares. In the meantime, all I ask is you remain strong and put your trust in Lady Mara!"

At these words, the crowd dispersed. Valen and Inigo stood there for a moment, looking at them and wondering what's going on. Given one of them was an Elf and the other was a Khajiit, they both had very sensitive ears, so they both heard loud and clear that the priest had specifically mentioned something about "nightmares" (not that they needed to have such good hearing, of course) but they both thought the idea of bad dreams plaguing an entire town to be rather ridiculous.

Valen bought them both a meal and they sat down at a bench. While they ate, they discussed their thoughts on Langley and the prophecy he spoke of.

"My friend, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"I know what you're gonna ask." Valen prefaced. "You want me to give you a full description of Langley? Sure, go ahead"

"He is a very interesting man. He knows a lot about me and there is a great deal of evidence that his visions usually come to pass. All that said, we have only just met him. In your heart of hearts, do you think we can trust him?"

Valen didn't answer right away. It was a very important question, clearly, and he needed a moment or two to think about his answer before he gave it. "I…" he began. "I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. We barely know him, and we should not judge a book by its' cover. Perhaps you are right about him and I am wrong. I certainly hope that is the case, but let's not get our hopes up. Still, I suppose I must give him the benefit of the doubt."

"I feel the same way. He has many flaws, but who doesn't? Even though we have just met, he has been a part of my life for years. He is a good man. Hearing your opinion has eased my mind. Thank you, my friend." Inigo replied. "There is something else I am compelled to mention"

"What is it?"

"When you were outside collecting eggs, I told Langley about how you spared my life and my debt to you. He questioned my memory."

"He what?"

"He said my mind has been through a lot with the skooma, the grief, and the endless battles and so on. He suggested that maybe you are not the person I remember"

"Inigo, I've been meaning to talk to you about that…"

"What do you mean?"

"I think Langley was right. I'm not the man you think I am"

"What? Where did this come from? No. You agreed to let me come with you so I could pay my debt by killing your enemies. Remember?"

"I never agreed. You insisted on coming with me to pay your non-existent debt. The man I have a score to settle with is not you. He's not even a Khajiit at all. He's a Breton, and a member of the Thieves Guild. He set me up and accused me of murdering one of your people – a Khajiit named J'kar – and then he used some kind of spell to cause most of the townsfolk to go crazy and slaughter each other. I tried to calm them down using a Master Illusion spell called Harmony, but then a guard shot me in the leg, disrupting my concentration and preventing me from doing so. Then he knocked me out, and when I awoke, I found myself in a jail cell with you. Then, well…you know the rest"

The two adventurers paused for a minute and Inigo reflected on this information. Valen then broke the silence by saying "That is a good thing, Inigo. It means you don't have to beat yourself up anymore over something you didn't do. It means we have no quarrel with each other and our pasts can stay in the past"

Inigo sighed. "I guess you're right, my friend." He admitted. "And so was Langley. But if I do not owe you anything after all, then I am no longer compelled by my own conscience to follow you around and watch your back"

"You are free to leave if you wish, Inigo. I will not stop you, if that's what you want to do" Valen prefaced. "But if what Langley says is true, you still need my help. And forget about the debt, okay? It doesn't exist, and even if it did, it doesn't matter. We have more pressing issues to worry about"

Valen then remembered something he said to Inigo when he first met the Khajiit in jail and commented "Oh, by the way, I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier"

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when we first met? I tried to tell you I'm not the man you shot, but you wouldn't listen to me. I called you a stupid cat"

"Oh, right!" Inigo recalled. "Do not worry about it, my friend. It does not matter now"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. And in my defence, I wouldn't have said it if you weren't being so stubborn" Valen told him in a somewhat light-hearted manner and Inigo laughed. He then looked to his left at the priest and said "Hey, let's go talk to this guy"

They both then got up out of their seats and walked over to where Erandur was sitting at the bar, having a drink and thinking about what else he could do to prevent Dawnstar's suffering, or at least make it suffer a little less. Valen sat down by him and greeted him by saying "Ah, a fellow Dunmer. What is your name, friend?"

"I am Erandur, my son. Priest of Mara. What troubles you?"

"First things first; my name is Valen Telvanni" the elf in scaled armour replied. "I overheard you say something about nightmares, correct?"

"The entire town is being plagued by horrible nightmares" Erandur began. "They're in serious danger but I'm afraid there is little I can do about it"

"What can you do anyway? Dreams aren't real"

"These dreams are manifestations created by the Daedric Lord Vaermina. She has an awful hunger for our memories. In return, she leaves behind nightmares not unlike a cough marks a serious illness. I must end her terrible influence over these people before the damage becomes permanent"

Upon hearing his mentioning of the name "Vaermina", Valen paused. He was very well-educated on the subject of Daedra. After all, he was a Dunmer. And it was then he realised the issue was worse than he thought. "So, what are you going to do? Just sit here and drink until you figure something out?"

"I need to return to the source of the problem, to Nightcaller Temple. Perhaps you would be willing to assist me in that regard?"

"What do you mean "return"? You've been there before?"

"I've already said too much. If anyone overhears what we're saying, it could start a panic. I would simply ask that you trust me"

Valen paused again to think about it. Erandur seemed to genuinely want to help the people of Dawnstar, but he also appeared to be hiding something. If his suspicions were correct, Erandur is either a priest of Vaermina in disguise, or he used to be but then out of guilt for the terrible things he did, converted to the Priesthood of Mara. And now he's trying to make up for the sins of his past. Besides, it didn't matter much to Valen that he was or used to be a Daedra worshipper anyway.

"Trust is hard to come by" Valen said. "But I'm willing to give you a chance to prove you are worthy of mine."

He then turned to Inigo and asked him "What do you say, my friend? Should we trust him?"

"Benefit of the doubt, remember?" Inigo reminded him. "Mara be praised! Nightcaller temple is only a short walk from Dawnstar. Come, we must hurry!"

"Very well" Valen agreed. "But I'm warning you, Erandur; if you even think about double-crossing us, you'll be sorry!"

"I understand. Like you said; trust is hard to come by. But I assure you my intentions are indeed honourable"

Erandur then led the elf and the cat out of the inn and into the street. He then pointed at a stone tower on a snowy hill overlooking Dawnstar to the east. "The tower on that hill is our destination. People around here call it the Tower of the Dawn. I'm not familiar with the tower's history, but it was deserted for quite a long time before Nightcaller Temple was established inside. When the temple was active, the priests would rarely be seen in Dawnstar. They preferred to live a solitary existence. The temple's been abandoned for decades now. Ironic, isn't it? A ruin within a ruin? There's a small shrine to Mara I established inside the tower's entry hall. I was hoping to seek spiritual guidance from her. Perhaps my prayers were answered and your reason for stumbling across Dawnstar is more than a mere coincidence. Follow me. It's this way. I'm glad to finally get a chance to help these people. Helplessly watching them suffer has been difficult"

He then started leading them up a hill towards the tower, and Valen didn't hesitate to voice his disagreement. "Actually, Mara didn't send me. I came here of my own free will" he said. "Neither of us knew about these nightmares until we arrived here and met you. But now that we do know, we might as well give you all the help we can"

The entrance to the tower was guarded by several frost trolls. Dangerous beasts, they were. Large, immensely strong. Quite challenging in combat, and they are able to heal from most attacks fairly quickly. And if one troll wasn't bad enough, there were _three_ of them. However, Valen knew they had a weakness to fire – which was arguably his deadliest weapon as he was born in the fires of the Red Mountain. And with is incredibly vast knowledge of the Destruction school and extremely large amounts of magicka, Valen told his two companions to "Stay back and let me handle this" and then proceeded to step forward and annihilate all three trolls with fireballs before they could even touch him or his friends.

"Trolls have a weakness to fire" he said. "Keep that in mind if you ever run into any more of them"

With the trolls now dead, the three heroes approached the tower entrance. "Before we head on inside" Erandur prefaced. "There is something else you must know"

"What is it?"

"Years ago, this temple was raided by an orc war party seeking revenge…they were being plagued by nightmares just like the people of Dawnstar"

"Were they successful?"

"No, knowing they could never defeat the orcs, the priests released what they called "The Miasma" and put everyone to sleep"

"The Miasma? What's that?"

"A dangerous gas created by the priests for their rituals. Because the rituals would last for months, or even years, the Miasma was designed to slow down the aging process"

"Why is sleep so dangerous?"

"I'm concerned that when this place is unsealed, the Miasma will dissipate and they'll awaken; both orcs and priests alike."

"And the gas itself?"

"Sadly, yes. The longer an individual is exposed to the Miasma, the more the mind can become damaged. Those who've been under the effect of it for extended periods of time have been known to lose their minds entirely. In some cases, a few never awoke at all" Erandur explained. "Be careful. We don't know what for certain what might happen once we're inside"

He then entered the building and Valen and Inigo followed him inside.


	8. Chapter 8: Redemption

**Chapter 8: Redemption**

Once they were inside, Erandur walked over to the back of the room. "Give me just a moment and I'll have this open" he said, then proceeded to cast a spell on the back wall.

Valen noticed the Shrine to Mara on a small table to the left of the room, but gave it a wide berth because he did not worship the Divines. In his mind, those so-called "Gods" were for the weak and foolish. He turned to Inigo and asked him "Any thoughts?"

"I'm thinking the Priest of Mara seems to know an awful lot about this place. I wonder why?" the Khajiit whispered. The back wall then turned purple and opened up, allowing the trio to walk right through it and proceed further into the tower. "Now I can show you the source of the nightmares. Over here"

Looking down from a balcony overlooking the inner sanctum, they can see what appears to be a staff with a skull on top of it glowing in the dark. It was protected by some kind of magical barrier, preventing anyone from reaching the staff. "Behold the Skull of Corruption; the source of Dawnstar's woes." said Erandur. "We must reach the inner sanctum and destroy it. Come, there's no time to lose"

He led Valen and Inigo down the stairs, with his mace in his right hand and a spell in the other. They could see that Erandur was right about the orcs and the priests when they saw two Orcish invaders lying on the ground. They were just beginning to wake up, but the Priest of Mara and his cohorts killed them quickly before they could. But the nearby doorway was blocked off by the same magical barrier protecting the skull.

"Damn it!" Erandur cursed. "The priests must have activated this barrier when the Miasma was released"

"Looks difficult to breach" Valen observed. "Impossible, actually. Hmm…I wonder…there may be a way to bypass the barrier, but I must check their library and confirm it can be done"

"You seem to know an awful lot about this place" Valen commented. "I suppose there's no point in concealing the truth any longer. My knowledge of this temple comes from personal experience. I was a priest of Vaermina"

Inigo froze. "You lied to us!" he snapped. "And what would you have me say?" Erandur asked him. "Sorry for following the misguided teachings of a mad Divine? Sorry for stealing memories from children? Do you realise when the orcs attacked, I was only concerned with myself? I fled…and left my brothers and sisters behind to die" he then revealed his reasons for becoming a Priest of Mara by adding "I've spent the last few decades living in regret and seeking redemption from Mara. And by Her Benevolence, I will right my wrongs"

"I understand why you kept it to yourself" Valen chimed in. "We all have skeletons in our closets. And while we're on the subject of Daedra; let's just say you're not the only one who worships them. I'm a Dunmer, like you, and like most of our kind, I worship the Tribunal. And not those fetchers who murdered Lord Nerevar and stole divine power for themselves, either. They were nothing but power-hungry god-thieves and murderers. Vivec being the worst of all three. If it weren't for him, Vvardenfell wouldn't have erupted, killing hundreds and possibly thousands of our people, covering Morrowind in smoke and ash and forcing many more to flee. I tried to convince him many years ago to destroy Baar Dau; a giant city-sized moonlet sent by the Mad God Sheogorath towards Vivec, but he wouldn't listen to me. That n'wah used his power to hold it up in the sky, but instead of destroying it, he used it to force his people to worship him, more out of fear than love or respect. And he knew that one day, the Nerevarine would return to punish the False Tribunal for their sins and when that happened, he would lose his power and Baar Dau would fall. Yet he still kept in the sky for as long as he could and did nothing to stop the Nerevarine from completing the prophecy."

Valen then realised he was going off on a tangent, and concluded by saying "That was over 200 years ago. But I digress. The point is, we all have our secrets. You used to worship a Daedric Lord, and I worship the _real_ Tribunal. Azura, Boethiah and Mephala. Azura, especially."

"I did not realise you were so old" Inigo commented. "Oh, I'm older than that, actually. A lot older"

"How old are you?"

"It's…complicated. We can discuss it later. Let's focus on destroying the Skull, first"

"Valen is right. We mustn't tarry." Erandur agreed. "I still have my key to the library. Whenever you're ready, let's move on"

"How can the Skull of Corruption be affecting Dawnstar?" Inigo asked.

"Lore holds that the Skull holds a constant hunger for the memories of others. The Skull has been out of touch for so long, I fear it's gained the ability to reach out on its own and try to feed. What it does with these memories is just conjecture and an argument for scholars and historians to this very day" Erandur explained.

They headed back up the stairs and Erandur used his key to unlock the door. He opened it and then they carefully crept into the library, trying not to wake the Orcs or the Vaermina devotees and gripping their weapons firmly in their hands just in case they did.

However, their efforts were in vain, as the sleepers were already beginning to awaken. Once again, Erandur, Valen and Inigo cut them down one by one and as quickly as they could, but there were too many of them and some of them managed to wake up before the trio could reach them. And chaos ensued in the library. The Orcs and the priests went back to killing each other, and Valen, Erandur and Inigo were caught in the middle of the battle, and most of the sleepers tried to kill them, too.

Fortunately for them, they were skilled enough in the arts of fighting and spellcasting alike to survive the onslaught. Inigo used his bow to shoot them down one by one, Valen casted fireballs and thunderbolts at those he couldn't reach and used his extensive knowledge of the Conjuration school to summon powerful atronachs and/or Dremora Lords to provide him with a little extra backup, but if the enemies got too close, he switched to his weapons. He was just as skilled with weapons as he was with spells. Erandur casted firebolts from his hands and used his mace to crack their skulls open. He was a pretty good fighter for a priest.

It took them a little longer than the two orcs they ran into earlier, but eventually, they managed to dispatch them and move on. "Barring any more interruptions, perhaps we can locate the information I need" Erandur said. "What are we looking for?"

"We're looking for a book of alchemical recipes called "The Dreamstride". The tome bears the likeness of Vaermina on the cover. It should be here somewhere"

"All right. Let's split up and look for that book" Valen proposed. "I'll be downstairs if you need me" Erandur said to both his fellow Dunmer and Inigo. "Inigo and I will search up here"

The three separated themselves as Valen suggested and they all began to search the shelves. Thanks to the orc raiders, the library was left in shambles. Most of the books were burned and bookcases and other furniture were smashed. The original battle in the library must have been rather hectic to say the least. "This place has seen better days, hasn't it?" Valen asked loudly enough for the others to hear.

"This library used to be filled with arcane volumes. Now look at it; almost everything's been burned. I hope the tome we need is still intact".

"It seems the orcs are to blame"

"But they wouldn't have raided this place if it wasn't for the nightmares"

Inigo was the first to find it. He saw the blue cover of Vaermina on the front, and just to be sure that it was in fact "The Dreamstride", he picked it up and opened it. The title read "The Dreamstride" and that was the only part of the book's contents he needed to read, so he took the book and called out "I've found it!"

He ran towards Erandur with the book held under his arm, and used his feline agility to jump down from the top of the library to the bottom. He landed gracefully on his feet in front of the priest and handed him the tome. "Let me take a look at that…" Erandur said. He opened the book and read its' contents more thoroughly than Inigo did. "Mara be praised! There is a way to pass the barrier to the inner sanctum. It involves a liquid known as Vaermina's Torpor"

Valen then jumped down from the top of the library just like Inigo did before, and landed directly behind the Priest of Mara and giving him of a bit of a fright. Clearly, Inigo was not the only one with impressive acrobatic skills. "Mara's Mercy, you startled me" Erandur said. "Sorry" Valen apologised. "you mentioned Vaermina's Torpor? Is that some type of potion?"

"Yes. The Torpor grants an ability the priests of Vaermina called "The Dreamstride"; using dreams to travel distances in the real world"

"Does it work?"

"I have yet to see anyone use it, but I assure you it is quite well-known in Vaerminian lore." Erandur answered. He then revealed; "As a sworn priest of Mara, the elixir won't work for me. The Torpor will only work for Priests of Vaermina, or the unaffiliated"

"What will The Dreamstride feel like?"

"You'll be viewing the memory of another through your own eyes and with your own body. Those around you will perceive you as normal and you will find the words you utter may not be your own. Thanks to all of these odd principles, there is quite a lot of debate as to whether this is really a dream or just a dream or the machinations of Vaermina"

"Where is the Torpor?"

"I believe there is a laboratory in the east wing. If we proceed there, we should be able to locate a sample"

At Erandur's words, Valen and Inigo followed him to the aforementioned laboratory. Meanwhile, in Windhelm, Astrid had been scouring the entire city for her target and his Khajiit friend, but found neither of them anywhere inside the walls. She asked around, but it seemed most of the townsfolk hadn't seen them. And the ones who did seemed to know nothing of where they went.

She knew they had been here, though. From what she gathered, they stayed here for a few hours after escaping prison. They got into an argument with two Nords on behalf of a Dark Elf woman they were harassing, and managed to convince them to go away and leave her alone. The woman, whose name was Suvaris Atheron, then led them to the New Gnisis Cornerclub in gratitude for defending her. They stayed there for some time, but then left hours later, without telling anybody where they were going.

However, one of the patrons at the cornerclub told her he overheard the Khajiit mention a tower near Dawnstar called Snowpoint Beacon. With this new lead, she left Windhelm and headed to the Stables to speak with the owner; a High Elf named Ulundil. He told her they bought two horses from him, then with their new steeds, they rode west. They didn't tell him where they were going…but they didn't need to because Astrid already knew.

…

Back in Dawnstar, Valen and his cohorts fought their way to the lab through more sleeping Orcs and priests. They made short work of them and Valen said to Erandur after they had been taken care of "You handle yourself well for a priest"

"Thank you" Erandur replied. "Now that they've been dealt with, we need to find the Torpor"

"What does it look like?"

"It should be in a small bottle, very similar to a potion. I'll begin searching up here"

The three of them split up again and Valen and Inigo searched the bottom of the lab while the Priest of Mara searched the top. Similar to the library, the laboratory had suffered significantly from the battle with the Orcs and much of it had been trashed as a result. In fact, as far as Valen and Inigo could tell, most of Nightcaller Temple itself was left in ruins from the invasion. When the former found the elixir, he brought it to Erandur. "Found it" Valen said.

"I'm relieved you discovered a bottle intact; this place looks as though it has been ransacked by the Orcs. So…I've taken us this far, but you need to guide us the rest of the way. Drink"

Valen raised a brow. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. "Dawnstar's fate rests in that tiny bottle. The longer we wait, the more damage Vaermina could be doing to those poor people. I understand your hesitation, but I promise you that it works"

"How will I know when to wake up?"

"I will watch over you to as you slumber to ensure your safety. If I deduce anything is amiss, I will use my arts to bring you back. Otherwise, I am uncertain what will end your Dreamstride. Perhaps when Vaermina's curious appetite has been filled"

"What's the worst that could happen?"

"I will not lie to you, there is some risk involved. The last time the Torpor was imbibed could have been decades ago. But I swear upon Lady Mara that I will do everything within my power to prevent any harm from befalling you"

Valen gave it some thought, then decided to drink the Torpor regardless of whatever may happen to him. After drinking the liquid, he found himself in the inner sanctum with two other priests; a Nord named Thorek and a Dunmer named Veren. It appears as though Valen went back in time to when the Orcs first invaded Nightcaller Temple.

Just as Erandur suspected, Valen was seeing what happened when the Orcs attacked through his eyes. Although he was still inside his own body, the priests didn't seem to notice anything different about him.

"The orcs have breached the inner sanctum, Brother Veren" said Thorek. "We must hold. We can't allow the Skull to fall into their hands" Veren replied.

"But…no more than a handful of us remain, brother"

"Then we have no choice. The Miasma must be released"

"The Miasma? But brother…"

"We have no alternative. It's the will of Vaermina"

Veren then turned to Valen, or rather, Erandur and asked "What about you, Brother Casimir? Are you prepared to serve the will of Vaermina?"

"Casimir…" Valen thought to himself. "That was Erandur's name back then? Makes sense that he would change it"

Casimir then said through the mouth of Valen "I've made my peace. I'm ready" and Valen was, to some extent, caught off guard by those words. Erandur was right. He didn't speak them. Casimir did, through Valen's lips! Amazing! It seems the Dreamstride is working so far.

"Then it's decided. Brother Casimir, you must activate the barrier and release the Miasma. Let nothing stop you. Brother Thorek, we must remain here and guard this Skull with our lives if necessary"

"Agreed. To the death"

"Then let it be done. Farewell, my brothers!"

And at these words, Valen, no – Casimir ran through Nightcaller Temple past the Orcs and the priests. It was as if he was inside Valen's body and controlling him. Neither Valen's words _nor_ his actions were his own, and Casimir was using him as a vessel.

Lucky for Casimir, the priests and the Orcs seemed as though they were too busy fighting each other to notice him running past them. And so he ran through the halls and the corridors until he reached a huge pull chain on the wall near a soul gem inside a holder. He pulled the chain and caused a huge hissing sound that made it quite clear to Casimir and the other devotees that the Miasma had been released.

And then, The Dreamstride ended moments after, and Valen found himself on the other side of the barrier staring at the chain on the wall. The barrier came from the nearby soul gem. Valen pulled the chain, and the barrier disappeared shortly after. Erandur and Inigo were waiting on the other side.

"It…it worked! Mara be praised! You vanished after drinking the Torpor and materialised on the other side. I have never seen anything quite like it!"

"It was amazing..." Valen admitted. "Like I was actually there!"

"How I envy you! I can only imagine the excitement of seeing history through the eyes of another! Sadly, I am just resigned to just reading of its' wonders through my research of the Skull"

"We can discuss it later. Right now, we have more pressing matters to attend to"

"Yes, of course. We still have to destroy the Skull. This way"

Erandur then led his associates down a corridor to the inner sanctum. On the way, they encountered more sleepers. Fortunately, they had the advantage of already being awake and on their feet. They used this advantage to strike the Orcs and the priests down before they could recover their senses and resume their decades-old battle with each other. Not the most honourable way to dispatch your foes, but it was smart and they didn't have time for honour. Besides, if the sleepers had a fair chance of killing Valen, Erandur and Inigo, and they succeeded in doing so, Dawnstar's fate would be sealed forever. And Inigo would have failed to complete his prophecy, which means nothing will stop the Doom Strider from completing its' quest to destroy the world.

At last, they managed to reach the inner sanctum and kill the sleepers…except two. Two who were already awake. Thorek and Veren. They came out of the shadows with their weapons drawn. They were a lot older than they were in the Dreamstride. Veren's hair was grey and he now had a beard on his chin. "Wait…" said Erandur. "Veren…Thorek…you're alive!"

"No thanks to you, Casimir!" Veren spat.

"I no longer use that name. I'm Erandur, Priest of Mara"

"You're a traitor. You left us to die and then ran before the Miasma took you"

"No…I was scared. I wasn't ready to sleep"

"Enough of your lies! I can't allow you to destroy the Skull, Priest of Mara"

"Then you leave me no choice"

Veren then swung his mace at Erandur, who sidestepped to the left and managed to avoid getting his skull crushed by the force behind Veren's swing. The latter swung his mace again, sideways this time, but Erandur blocked it. A steel sword then came piercing through his chest, impaling the priest of Vaermina. Valen had used his teleportation spell to appear directly behind Veren and stab him in the back with his sword. Meanwhile, Inigo shot Thorek in the face with his bow before he could do anything to protect his fellow priest _or_ the Skull of Corruption for that matter.

"I…I knew Thorek and Veren…" Erandur commented solemnly. "They were my friends. "Is this punishment for my past? Is it Mara's will to torment me so?"

"It's not a punishment for you" Valen assured him. "But for them. They stole memories from children and caused an entire town to be plagued by horrible nightmares. They had to die. And they tried to kill us, too"

"And if they had succeeded, Dawnstar's fate would be sealed forever. You have a unique way of looking at things, my friend." Erandur replied. "Now it is time. The Skull must be destroyed. If you'll stand back, I'll perform the ritual granted to me by Lady Mara"

Erandur then walked up the steps to the Skull, which was still protecting itself by shielding itself in some kind of magical barrier. Erandur chanted to the Divine of Love "I call upon you, Lady Mara! The Skull hungers. It yearns for memories and leaves nightmares in its' wake. Grant me the power to break through the barrier and to send the Skull to the depths of Oblivion!"

Erandur then used the power of Mara to cover himself and the Skull in some kind of red magical energy used to destroy it. As he did so, Valen then heard a female voice in his head say "He's deceiving you! When Erandur has destroyed the Skull, he will turn on you and kill you! Quickly! Kill him! Kill him now and the claim the staff for yourself! Vaermina commands you!"

"No! Never!" Valen objected aloud. Inigo gave him a look of confusion at his sudden outburst. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I just heard Vaermina's voice in my head"

"Really? What did she say?"

"She told me to kill Erandur and claim the staff for myself" Valen answered. "She said he would betray us. Probably just messing with my head, but even so, we should be ready just in case he does"

Valen drew his sword and Inigo drew his bow and nocked an arrow, but held his fire for the time being. Erandur then finished what he started and the Skull disappeared. At last, the people of Dawnstar would no longer suffer from nightmares. He then calmly walked down the steps towards his two friends and noticed their weapons were drawn. "Is…everything okay?" he asked.

"Vaermina just spoke to me" he admitted. "Told me you would turn on us"

"Then she is lying to you. Please, do not listen to her!"

Valen just stood there for a moment with his sword drawn, eyes fixed on the priest, then withdrew his weapon, as did Inigo. "I thought so, but I wasn't entirely sure. I had to be ready on the off-chance that you would. Sorry if I scared you"

"It is alright, my friend. Forgive me if I don't appear relieved…this temple has taken its' toll on me. I'd constructed a meagre shrine to Mara in the antechamber where we entered. My intention was to spend the rest of my years here, burying the past and praying for forgiveness. But instead, I wish to offer my services to you. If you ever wish to journey with me, I'll be here"

"Thank you, Erandur"

"If it weren't for you, Dawnstar would still be suffering from nightmares. If anyone should be thanked, it would be you"

Erandur then walked off to the antechamber to pray to Mara for forgiveness, and Inigo said to Valen "That was quite an adventure, wasn't it?"

"Indeed" Valen concurred. "What say we go back to the inn for a drink?"

"Good idea, my friend. I could use some ale. And when we get there, would you mind if we had a little talk? There's something to discuss with you?"

"What is it?"

"It's about what you said earlier, but I'd prefer if we discussed it somewhere…warmer, like an inn. It's not an important matter; I would just like to get to know you better. That's all"

"Very well. Once we've got ourselves a drink, we'll sit down and talk"


	9. Chapter 9: Murder and Intrigue

**Chapter 9: Murder and Intrigue**

Later on that night, Valen and Inigo got themselves a drink each at the Windpeak Inn and sat down at a table to discuss Valen's age. "You said you were over 200 years old" Inigo recalled. "I had no idea. You look young… _really_ young. And you fight with the vigor of a very young man, yet you claim to have lived for hundreds of years. You're not a vampire, are you?"

Valen tapped Inigo on the shin lightly but somewhat frantically. "Don't say that word around here!" he whispered. "No, that's not what I am. I am mortal, same as you and everyone else here"

"Then how are you so old?"

"Elves live longer than Men. Surely, you must know that. We age very slowly compared to humans. What of it?"

"But even for an elf, that is very old. Yet you show no signs of it"

Valen sighed. "Do you believe in reincarnation?"

"I would rather not. If I came back as a chicken, I don't know how I would be able to get on with my life. I could run from a sabre cat, I suppose."

Valen laughed at Inigo's funny remark. "I'm sure chickens don't have such a bad life"

"Oh, but they do! Always clucking about, watching everyone, judging everything, having to exchange information for feed. Terrible!"

"A fate worse than death" Valen commented in a light-hearted manner. "Precisely?"

"What would you rather come back as?"

"Me, of course! But a different me. A me who makes better choices and always gets the ladies. What would you come back as?"

"Ah, see, that's the thing. It seems I have already beaten you to it"

"Really?"

"Yes." Valen confirmed. "Physically, I'm as young as I look. I am seventeen years old. But on the inside, I am extremely old. Ancient, even"

"How old?"

"Over a thousand years"

"No way!"

"I was born in the year 2E 582 – the end of the Second Era, and before Tiber Septim ascended to the Imperial Throne. I was a Dunmer then, just like I am now. And my name was Adrenor, of House Telvanni. Now before I continue, let me tell you a little bit about my House"

"Okay"

"House Telvanni is one of the Five Great Houses of Morrowind, and by far, one of the most respected. Unlike the other Houses, we have little interest in politics and instead prefer to study magic in order to become powerful wizards and increase our understanding of the magical forces that control our world. The Lords of my house are immensely powerful mages, and boast a deep understanding of magic few men possess. And I was fortunate enough to be born into their house"

"That's amazing! So you were a powerful wizard, yes?"

"No" Valen shook his head. "I mean, yes, but not at first. I may have been a Telvanni, but unlike most of my kind, I had…issues preventing me from becoming as great as them."

"What do you mean?"

"My mother…she was not a good person…even for a Telvanni. She was a Skooma addict, like you used to be. Most of my kind would never touch the stuff, but it seemed she could not keep her hands off it. And because of her addiction, I was born disabled. Mentally and physically."

"By the Gods…"

"It gets worse" Valen added. "Because of my disabilities, I was treated with severe prejudice by my own people who abused me and treated me like I was no better than guar dung. If my name wasn't Telvanni, they would have thrown me to the beasts and let them tear me apart"

"That's horrible! I am sorry to hear that, my friend"

"Although money came second to magic, my family were very rich. Rich enough to buy slaves and have them work on their lands to bring them wealth. Argonians, mostly. But we also had humans, Orcs and even Khajiit working on our plantations. Despite being a Dunmer _and_ a Telvanni, I wasn't treated much better than they were because of my disabilities. I was never allowed the privilege of owning a slave, nor did I want it. The abuse I had to endure made me sympathise with them, yet there was little I could do to prevent my own suffering, let alone theirs."

"You family owned slaves?"

"Yes. For economic purposes, but power was the real reason. They were obsessed with it. Not just magical power, but physical power, too. They loved to dominate other life forms and lord over people. Especially those who weren't Dunmer. In Morrowind, humans, Orcs, Argonians and just about anyone who isn't an elf is widely considered to be no better than animals. However, only a small minority of us own slaves. Most of my kind are too poor to have people working for them against their will for little to no pay"

"So, what happened?"

"I met a woman. Dunmer, like me. And she was a Telvanni, as well. But she was different. Her name was Lilith, and she was the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen. Not to mention powerful. _Very_ powerful indeed. Let's just say she was part of an organisation of men and women with a very unique and rare gift. The kind of gift that made them lions among sheep. And she came to me to make me one of them one night while my parents were gone. I invited her in, against my parents wished and asked her to give it to me quickly. She then proceeded to embrace me, and then everything went black."

"What did she do to you, exactly?"

Valen leaned in and whispered "She's a vampire"

"Oh…oh, I see"

"And not just any kind, either. The group she was a part of were called the Scions of the Blood Matron. Having been sired directly by Lamae Bal herself, they were far more powerful than any ordinary creature of the night"

"Who is Lamae Bal?"

"The first vampire to ever live" said Valen. "It all started with her. A Nedic woman from the First Era, and a priestess of Arkay. Not a willing subject. Molag Bal disguised himself as a mortal man and brutally ravaged her to spite the Divine of Death. She was then found by a group of nomads, who burned her on a pyre once they saw she was stricken with a terrible disease. But the flames didn't even touch her, and she awoke shortly afterwards as a full-fledged vampire, raped them and slaughtered them."

"Gods…" said Inigo.

"The moment she became infected by Molag Bal, Arkay turned his back on her. She then rejected him and travelled across Tamriel to share her gift with those who wished to receive it. And thus, the Scions of the Blood Matron were born"

"And what did you use your powers for, exactly?"

"To punish those who harmed others for no good reason. And I was not the only one. Like me, Lilith was not a fan of slavery at all. Though her reasons were somewhat different to mine."

"How so?"

"Well, like most of us Telvanni, she _did_ own slaves. But that was years before she became a Scion and met me. She was taken from her home by members of an infamous cult that worshipped Molag Bal called the Order of the Black Worm. Mannimarco was their leader. A High Elf and a powerful necromancer they called "The King of Worms". He sacrificed Lilith's soul to the God of Schemes, and while she was trapped there, she saw the countless souls imprisoned in Coldharbour and witnessed with her own eyes the unimaginable cruelty they lived under. Luckily for her, she met two people who helped her escape and ever since, she has been known as "The Vestige" and she never wanted anything to do with slavery ever again" Valen explained.

"So you both know what it's like to be slaves, even though you and Lilith are members of House Telvanni?"

"Precisely!" the Dunmer confirmed. "And ever since we became vampires, we used our gifts to fight slavery and other injustices that plagued our homeland. We may have been unholy creatures of the night, but we still had honour. We didn't feed on innocent people and we used our powers for good. I lived a very long time, and learned many things about life. Learned how to fight, how to sneak and became a powerful mage. But then, during the Oblivion Crisis, a Dremora mage incinerated me with a fireball. Then about nearly two decades ago, I was reborn, on the island of Vvardenfell in Morrowind. I may have died, but everything I learned stayed with me after I was born again. But due to the constant eruptions of the Red Mountain, I had to be sent to Skyrim. Specifically, the Orphanage in Riften - Honorhall. I was the only Dunmer to be raised there. My birth parents didn't make it, apparently. The Red Mountain killed them. I never knew my father, and the closest thing I had to a mother was a woman named Constance Michel."

"I'm sorry to hear that, my friend. At least Constance was there for you, yes?"

"She was an Imperial, and I'll admit I'm weary of most Imperials because their soldiers left us during the Oblivion Crisis when we needed them the most. But for Constance, I make an exception. She wasn't a soldier or a politician. Just a woman from Cyrodiil who came to Skyrim to look after children who had lost their parents." Valen recalled. "But Constance was not the headmistress. Not until a few years ago. Before then, Grelod the Kind was in charge, but don't let the name fool you. She was anything _but_ kind. She was very abusive and cruel, just like my so-called "mother" from my past life. She would give us an extra beating every time we shirked our duties, she only fed us once a day, refused to let us even speak of adoption and worst of all; sometimes she would lock us in "The Room"."

"The Room?"

"It was small, not much bigger than a broom closet, and it had shackles on the wall and a couple of buckets to relieve ourselves. That old hag would put us in the shackles and leave us in there with only the foul stench of our waste to accompany us."

"Gods, that's horrible!"

"Yes, it is. A real tyrant, she was. I was the only kid who wasn't afraid of her, and I did my best to protect the other kids. I took most of the punishments so they wouldn't have to. But there was only so much I could do"

"How did Constance take over?"

"I killed Grelod" Valen answered. "But not at first. I tried to reason with her, but that old crone wouldn't listen to me no matter what I told her. She had no heart, no soul. So I snuck into her room one night and quietly casted a Bound Dagger spell, then placed my hand on her mouth and slit her throat. I then changed her sheets because they were covered in her blood and smuggled her corpse out of Riften, along with her bloody sheets, and dumped them both in Lake Honrich where no one could find them"

"And even now, her body is still in the Lake?"

"Precisely! Her sudden disappearance did raise a few questions at first, but no one seemed to know where she went. Nobody cared, either, because nobody liked her. If anything, everyone in Riften was relieved she was gone. Me and my fellow orphans, especially. I was twelve years old back then, and I've been protecting Riften ever since. Fortunately, I rarely ever had to kill anyone who deserved it. Murder is very uncommon in my city, so I mostly had to deal with petty thieves and muggers. I would beat them up and take back what they stole, but I wouldn't kill them because they were not a real threat to honest people trying to make an honest living. As bad as the Thieves Guild is, they're not killers."

…

Meanwhile, just southwest of Dawnstar, Astrid managed to find Snowpoint Beacon. But when she searched the tower for any signs her target had been there, she found nothing. Except two dead bandits. They could have been killed by anyone, but that was all the proof Astrid needed. So she walked across the scaffolding connecting the tower to the mountain and trudged through the thick snow that covered the ground until she reached the top and found a cabin.

She approached the front door and tried to open it, but it was locked tight. Fortunately for Astrid, she was a skilled lock picker, and the cabin wasn't the first place she had broken into. However, the lock was tough to pick even for her and it wasn't until she had broken nine picks that she managed to unlock the door. Astrid opened it slightly, and as quietly as she could, hoping the owner didn't see nor hear her. No sign of them. So she opened it a little bit more and snuck into the cabin.

Like Valen and Inigo when they first entered Langley's house, the first thing she noticed was the paintings of the blue Khajiit on the wall. "Interesting" she thought. "I've never seen a Khajiit with blue fur before. He must be the one Maven told me about." but she put that thought aside and focused on the task at hand. She was here for information, not an art lesson.

Fortunately for her, the old man who painted those pictures was asleep in his bed. She snuck over to him and drew her Blade of Woe, and when she got close enough to him, she pressed it against his throat and told him to "Wake up, old man!"

Langley opened his eyes to find the woman standing over him, holding a dagger to his throat. "What is the meaning of this?!" he asked. "How did you get in here?!"

Astrid put her finger to his lips to silence him. "Quiet!" she hushed him. "I'll be asking the questions, old man. You will speak only when spoken to. Do you understand?"

Fearing for his life, Langley did as he was told and kept his mouth shut. Astrid then asked him about the paintings. "You know that blue Khajiit in the paintings, don't you?"

"Yes" she said. "You're not going to hurt him, are you?"

"No. He is not my target." Astrid answered. "And no, before you ask, you're not either. Lucky for you. It's his friend I'm after. A Dark Elf named Valen Telvanni. Do you know where he is?"

"No, and even if I did know, I still wouldn't tell you"

"Not even if I slit your throat?"

"Then I wouldn't be able to talk, so no"

"Don't get smart with me!" Astrid warned him. "Not unless you want me to cut you to pieces!"

"I won't lie" Langley prefaced. "I don't like that elf very much. He's insufferable, rude and a complete idiot! The only reason I wouldn't tell you where he is if I knew is because he's Inigo's friend. So for Inigo's sake, you will have to kill me before I tell you anything"

"Inigo? The blue Khajiit in your paintings?"

"Yes, that's him. That's his name. Inigo. I don't know what he sees in Valen. They barely know each other, but Inigo convinced me he can be trusted."

Astrid paused for a moment and thought about what to do next, then let go of Langley and sheathed her dagger away. Langley was of course relieved that she did, but only for a moment before Astrid said "I guess I'll have to beat it out of you!" and then proceeded to grab Langley by his robes and punch him in the face with her right fist as hard as she could.

"Ow!" Langley said. He caressed his cheek where she struck him and Astrid asked him again "Where is he?"

"I told you, I don't know!"

Astrid punched him again. "Where is he?!"

"What do you want me to say?!"

Astrid wasn't convinced he genuinely didn't know where her target was. She was convinced he was just trying to protect the elf, so she continued to beat him up until he talked. She punched him over and over again, kicked him, kneed him in the gut, hit him in the back with her elbow, but he still kept telling her he didn't know. Every blow caused him to yell in agony, so it wasn't that she wasn't trying hard enough. She's a trained killer, he's just a feeble old mage who lives on a mountain all by himself. But Langley was a stubborn old codger, and Inigo would be furious with him if he revealed the whereabouts of the blue Khajiit's friend to the assassin.

And to make matters worse for Astrid, while she was beating him, Langley casted a spell. However, it didn't seem to do anything.

Astrid saw him cast the spell and scoffed "Your magic won't save you, wizard!"

"No" Langley agreed. "But they will"

Astrid looked confused. "They? Who is they?! What did you do?!"

"I called for help"

…

Back in Dawnstar, Inigo felt his mind vibrate yet again. "Agh!" he groaned in pain. "My mind is vibrating again!"

"Langley!"

"He's in trouble. I saw him being beaten up by a woman in a black and red outfit! We must hurry!"

Inigo got up out of his seat and ran for the door. "Wait!" Valen called. "I can get us there faster than any horse. Come here!"

Inigo approached Valen and the latter put his left arm around the former, then used his right hand to teleport himself and his feline friend to Langley's house. They appeared just outside the old man's door and Valen rammed it down with his shoulder, showing a surprising amount of upper body strength and giving Astrid quite a fright. She wasn't expecting neither the elf nor the cat to show up so quickly. She drew her Blade of Woe, grabbed Langley and used him as a shield to protect herself.

Holding him firmly from behind with one arm and her dagger in her right, she held it to his throat once again and asked Valen "How did you get here so quickly?!"

She looked at Langley and asked in an accusatory manner "You summoned them?!"

"Kind of"

"What do you mean "kind of"? You did or you didn't?"

Before Langley could answer, Valen told her to "Let him go!"

Astrid turned her attention back to the elf. "You. You're the one I must kill!"

"Is that so?" Valen asked. "Wait…I know that uniform…you're from the Dark Brotherhood, aren't you?!"

"What of it, elf?" Astrid spat. She said "elf" like it was an insult. "Then someone paid you to kill me, didn't they? Someone from Riften, I bet. But never mind that, let Langley go! Now! _I'm_ the one you want"

"I'd do as he says if I were you" Langley encouraged her, but Astrid silenced him by telling him to "Shut up!"

She pressed her dagger against his throat and said "He may not be my target, but that doesn't mean I won't kill him if I have to! Come anywhere near me and I'll slit his throat!"

"You do that, and I'll put an arrow in your face!" Inigo interjected. Both he and Valen had had their weapons drawn since they came to Langley's rescue – the former had his bow drawn and arrow pointing in Astrid's (and Langley's) direction, but he didn't have a clear shot so he kept tight hold of his arrow until he did. Valen gripped his dagger firmly in his right hand and added "and that's if his arrow reaches you before I do! And yes, I'm that quick! Now, I won't tell you again; let him go, or one of us will kill you!"

Astrid thought about it for a brief moment, then sighed. "Fine!" she agreed. But before she let go of Langley, she added "On one condition"

Valen and Inigo looked at each for a moment, then the former looked back at Astrid and prompted her by saying "Go on"

"You will stay your weapons and let me leave this place alive. Got it?"

Valen paused for a moment. "Wait a minute…don't you want me dead?"

"I'll let you live for now, but I'll be back to finish the job sooner or later. Mark my words"

"Fine, but no tricks, or I'll have your head!"

At these words, Valen lowered his dagger, albeit reluctantly. Inigo looked at him and asked "My friend, all due respect, but have you lost your mind? Letting her go?"

"Just trust me, Inigo. And put your bow down"

Inigo sighed and did as he was told. Astrid finally released Langley and withdrew her blade. Once again, the old man sighed deeply in relief as soon as she did, to the surprise of no one. But then, thinking now would be a good time to strike at Valen while his guard was down, she quickly drew her dagger and attempted to pounce on Valen, but the elf saw it coming and sidestepped out of the way, just barely avoiding her and causing her to knock over the cooking pot near the fireplace.

The pot falling into the fire caused it to become out of control and spread across the house – which was made entirely of wood and thatch, making the house burn quicker. "What have you done?!" Valen chided Astrid who fleed from the house before the fire could burn her. The former used his magic to keep Inigo and Langley safe from the flames and allow them to escape. They both managed to get outside and Valen's spell ended. Inigo looked back at the burning house and cried "Valen, noooo!" but it was too late.

Inigo tried to run back to save his friend, but Langley grabbed and held him back. "He's gone, Inigo! He's gone!" Langley told him. Meanwhile, Astrid was watching from a further distance away. She stood there for a moment and bore witness to the burning house with a sinister grin on her face that remained hidden behind her mask. Maven warned her that Valen was dangerous and quite capable of defending himself, but it seemed he wasn't so dangerous after all. While Inigo cried out for his friend, she stood there smiling and even started cackling like the sadistic wench she was. The longer she laughed, the louder her laughter got.

But then the house exploded, and her laughter stopped when she saw a raging Dark Elf came sprinting out of it towards her. He _was_ on fire, but the flames didn't burn him because he was using the power of his ancestors to cloak his body in fire. It was one of the perks of being a Dunmer. Fire cannot harm Valen because he was born in it. Inigo stopped crying the moment he saw Valen again, and a big smile of relief appeared on his face. Astrid, on the other hand, panicked when she saw the Dunmer charging at her as fast as he could, with a look of pure, unadulterated fury on his face. He looked as though Astrid might as well have killed his whole family. She may not have, but she did try to kill him and almost murdered his friends, so Valen thought that was close enough.

"I'll kill you, you stupid, sadistic, murdering whore!" he bellowed. Astrid didn't hesitate to mount Shadowmere and spur him on away from the furious Mer as fast as her horse could carry her. Valen and Inigo left their horses tied to a couple of posts outside the Windpeak Inn in Dawnstar, so he had to chase her on foot. He was very quick on his feet, but he was not faster than a horse. Not even close. And Shadowmere was no ordinary steed, either.

But he didn't need to outrun Astrid's mount to catch up to her. He hit Shadowmere with a fireball, right on his behind, causing him to whinny in pain and fling Astrid off his back and into the air.

She landed in the snow. Fortunately for her, it was thick enough, and soft enough to cushion her landing. Shadowmere was no ordinary horse, and it would take more than one fireball to kill him, but there was no way he was sticking around to be hit by another, so he ran away and left his rider behind.

So Astrid had to pick herself up and run away as fast as she could on foot from the flaming elf. He casted fireballs at her with the fury of a god, but lucky for the Dark Brotherhood leader, the wind was strong, and it caused Valen to miss his target over and over again. Even so, Astrid had to keep moving, for there's still a chance she could get roasted alive.

Valen's ancestral flames then wore off, but his rage did not. He kept casting fireballs at the assassin, and still kept missing. But then, just as he was about to cast another fireball, he was suddenly struck in the face by the back of a giant hand and sent flying.

For a moment or two, Valen was stunned by the sheer force behind the blow, and his vision was blurred and distorted. But when he came back to his senses, he saw that the hand that struck him wasn't a man's hand, but something much bigger. And hairier.

A werewolf! A huge, black werewolf with a thick coat of fur and long, razor-sharp claws and teeth was standing right before him, growling ferociously and approaching him one step at a time. Valen quickly got back up on his feet and drew his sword and shield. "Come on, you monster!" he boldly proclaimed.

The beast then let out a huge, angry roar and lunged itself at Valen in an attempt to bring its' claws down on his face, but the elf sidestepped to the left, just missing its' attack and slashing it across the belly with his sword. But the wound he left on the werewolf healed almost instantly right before his eyes.

The beast then attempted to hit Valen again with the back of its hand. Valen managed to block it with his iron shield, but the beast was immensely strong, and it knocked the elf's shield out of his hand, then swung its' left claw at Valen, but he used his sword to parry the blow. Now Valen had to use his sword, not just as a weapon against the beast, but as a primary form of defence against its attacks.

The monster continued to growl at the Dunmer and proceeded to swing its right claw at Valen, then its left again, but Valen successfully parried both attacks and sliced him again. He knew his sword had no effect on the werewolf because it was made of steel, not silver. But instead of standing there and watching it heal rapidly again, it was now his turn to go on the offensive. He swung his sword from left to right, then attempted a downward slash on the beast, but it caught Valen's sword-arm in its left hand. It gripped him firmly by the wrist and gave another loud, blood-curdling roar, but Valen was not afraid. He kicked it in the gut with enough force to make it let go of him, the wolf tried to slash him across the face with its right claw, but the elf ducked and struck him again – this time across the chest.

But all that seemed to was make it angry, even angrier than it already was. It let out another ferocious growl and sunk its teeth into Valen's neck. The brave Mer did not have time to get out the way or do anything to protect himself from its bite. He yelled in pain as its incredibly sharp canines pierced his flesh. It seemed as though the monster had won this fight.

But then, just as all hope appeared to be lost, an ebony arrow landed right in the werewolf's back, causing it to let go of Valen – who fell to the ground - and roar in pain as well as anger. It turned to see Inigo standing some distance away with his bow drawn and an arrow aiming directly at it. The beast glared at him furiously for a brief moment, but then Astrid returned, riding on the back of Shadowmere once again after she managed to get her steed back, and called out "Arnbjorn, let's go!"

And the werewolf, who apparently had a name, ran away on four legs. The assassin then spurred her horse on at the same time and in the same direction. Inigo and Langley both chased them off, the former shooting at them with arrows and the latter casting powerful destruction spells, but neither of them managed to hit their targets and Astrid managed to get away on her steed along with the werewolf she called "Arnbjorn"

"Valen, my friend!" Inigo cried but his words seem to have fallen on deaf ears. Langley managed to catch up with him and state the obvious by saying "He's been bitten by a werewolf. Come, we must get him to Dawnstar immediately!"

Inigo then placed his bow on his back and picked Valen up, then carried him off to Dawnstar with Langley close behind him.


	10. Chapter 10: Light of The Moon

**Chapter 10: Light of the Moon**

(Author's note: hey, guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I haven't been feeling well lately, but I'm better now, so without further ado, here's the latest chapter of my story. Enjoy.)

At last, Inigo and Langley brought Valen to Dawnstar and got him inside the Windpeak Inn. "I need a room. Now!" Inigo said to the innkeeper and as quickly as he could, he took a coin purse out of Valen's pocket – because he didn't have any money of his own since he got out of Riften jail – and placed it on the counter. "Take the one on the left" the innkeeper named Thoring said, and Inigo immediately carried Valen to the room on his left and put him on the bed.

"What's up with the elf?" Thoring asked. "You don't want to know" Langley answered. However, the beating the Imperial took from Astrid left him with some bruises, a black eye and a bloody nose. It was impossible to not notice that he was hurt, too. "And what about you? You look like you just got mugged or something"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be alright in a moment" Langley assured him. He then used a healing spell on himself to recover his injuries, and in just a moment, he was looking better already. "And no, I didn't get mugged" Langley then walked over to Inigo, who was standing over Valen and looking at the wound on his neck and checking for a pulse. "He's alive! Thank the Gods!"

"If anyone should be thanked, it is you" Langley said. " _You're_ the one who saved his life, not the Gods"

"Langley! You're looking better already!"

"Yes, I just used my knowledge of the Restoration school to heal myself. Now we only have to worry about Valen"

"He's out cold. That werewolf bit him pretty deep"

"Yes, but I'm afraid there is little we can do except leave him there for a few days and let his body heal on its own. Don't worry, he's strong. He'll be alright"

"Stronger than you think. Valen told me about his past"

"Did he now? Then why don't you tell me what he told you?"

"It is long and complicated. And you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you"

"Try me"

"Well, okay. But first, let's get a couple of chairs, my friend. This is quite a tale"

Once they'd sat down, Inigo proceeded to tell Langley everything Valen had told him. He told the Imperial how he had lived another life previously, and what he did in that life, before being reincarnated into another male Dunmer born into House Telvanni before being sent to Skyrim and raised in Honorhall Orphanage. Inigo told Langley that Valen, despite being reincarnated, had somehow managed to retain his memories from his old life. He lost his powers, but he still remembered every skill he learned and all the wisdom he gained from living for such a long time. He also explained how Valen, like all the other orphans at Honorhall, was subject to the wrath of the cruel headmistress named Grelod the Kind. And Inigo told Langley what sort of horrible things she did to those kids, but unlike the others, Valen did not fear her and despite the fact that he was just a boy, he was so brave even back then, that he stood up to Grelod time and time again and did everything he could to protect the other children. He even took as much of the abuse and the beatings as he could so that they wouldn't have to.

Inigo even mentioned to Langley how Valen snuck into Grelod's room at night, slit her throat with a bound dagger, put her body in a large sack, changed the sheets because they were covered in blood; thus they were evidence that the cruel headmistress had just been murdered, and smuggled Grelod's body, along with the bloody sheets out of the city and dumped them into Lake Honrich where nobody could ever find them, then snuck back into the Orphanage and went back to bed.

"By the Gods, you were right, Inigo. That _was_ quite a tale!" Langley remarked. "So, what do you think?"

"I don't know if I believe in reincarnation, but if it's true, it's all the more reason to have faith that he will recover. He's been through a lot worse than this. In the meantime, we need to find out who wants him dead and why."

"He was framed for murder by the Thieves Guild and thrown in jail. That was where we met. But then he found a way to escape, and I went with him, thinking I could repay my debt to him by slaying his foes. I didn't know it at the time, but it turns out you were right. He's not the man I tried to kill"

"Hate to say I told you so…but I told you so"

"He tried to tell me, but I was being too stubborn to listen to him. Anyway, he believed that if he stayed in jail, he would have been publicly executed for a crime he didn't commit, so he escaped. And now somebody has paid the Dark Brotherhood to kill him. Someone from Riften, it seems. But we don't know who. Not yet, anyway"

"Those murderers burned my house down and almost killed us! We need to find them and put a stop to this madness once and for all!"

"I agree." Inigo concurred. "But before we do that, we must wait until Valen gets better and guard him with our lives for now"

"I will stay here and look after our friend until he recovers. You, on the other hand, need to find some work. Our bellies won't feed themselves"

"No, they won't." Inigo agreed. "And neither will the rent for Valen's room. There are two mines in this town. I suppose I could get a pickaxe and dig up as much ore as I can, then sell it to the owners for a modest fee. Now would you mind giving me a moment to change out of this armour, my friend?"

"As you wish"

Langley then stood in the doorway with his back turned to Inigo to give him some privacy and keep prying eyes away from him until he put some clothes on. Inigo changed into a brown set of fine clothes and said "Ah, that's better. Now I'd better get going. Our bellies won't feed themselves"

Langley then turned around and saw that Inigo was dressed again, then moved from the doorway "The rent won't pay itself, either."

Inigo then left the tavern to find work in the mines. The two Inigo mentioned before were Quicksilver Mine and Iron-Breaker mine; and their owners were once married, but now they are bitter rivals engaged in a rather fierce competition whose mine is better. Their names are Beitild; she owns Iron-Breaker Mine, and Leigelf; owner of the Quicksilver mine.

But Inigo cared little for their feud. As long as they paid him well enough for all the ore he could dig up, it didn't matter to him. And due to his neutrality, he could, and did spend the next few days working in both mines in order to make some extra gold. While he worked; he kept an eye out for the assassins. Inigo didn't expect them to come back for at least a day or two, but Langley was right. Until Valen managed to recover, he was still in a vulnerable state and would remain that way for at least a few days. That gives the Dark Brotherhood plenty of time to re-think their strategy and strike again before the elf wakes up.

In the meantime, Inigo continued to work for his gold, and to make even more gold, he would sometimes smelt the ore down to make ingots and sell them to the local blacksmith and/or his wife – who is the only Redguard in Dawnstar.

…

Meanwhile, in the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, Astrid was arguing with Arnbjorn about her contract. When she met Valen and his friends for the first time, she was wearing her hood and mask, but after making it safely to the Sanctuary, she took them off, like she always did after coming back from completing a contract "What in Sithis' name were you thinking?!" she chided him. "Interfering in my contract and stealing my kill like that?!"

"I saved your life, remember?!" Arnbjorn pointed out as he grabbed the arrow still in his back and pulled it out. The wound immediately closed up due to his healing factor, then he gave a sigh of relief, put the arrow down and added "You saw what that elf can do – what he almost did – to you! If it weren't for me, you would have been burned to a crisp and this is the thanks I get?!"

"He's _mine_! My contract, my kill! Not yours!" Astrid shot back. "Besides, I can take care of myself. You of all people should know that! We're trained killers, Arnbjorn! This is what we do; put our lives on the line to get rid of undesirables like the elf!"

"I'm aware of that!" Arnbjorn commented in mild frustration, as if it wasn't so painfully obvious to him. "But I'm your husband, and I wouldn't be a very good one if I just stood idly by and let you get yourself killed"

Astrid sighed. "How did you know, anyway? We both know you're not psychic"

"I had a hunch"

"A _hunch_? You're joking?!"

"I guess my hunches must be pretty good. I had a bad feeling in my gut and I chose to trust it. Turns out I was right to do so. By the way, I wasn't trying to steal your kill. I would never do that. I was just trying to hold him off so you could get away."

"You bit him on the neck! Nearly ripped out his throat! Would have, too, if that blue Khajiit hadn't shot you!"

"Actually, that wasn't my intention"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really. Thanks to me, he's unconscious now, and he'll remain that way for three days. That gives us – you - plenty of time to get him while he's sleeping. But you have to get to Dawnstar before midnight on the third day and kill him, or he will become moon-born like me"

"Wait, you didn't bite him to make him a werewolf, did you?"

"He won't. Not if you kill him before he does"

"And what about his friends? One of them is a Khajiit warrior named Inigo, and the other is a powerful wizard who can summon them whenever he means to"

"I'll take care of the cat. And they may have a wizard, but so do we. Let's take Festus. He can help me deal with Valen's friends while you take care of the elf"

Astrid thought about it for a moment, then agreed by saying "All right, but you and Festus must promise me that neither of you will interfere. Valen is mine and mine alone. You two will be my backup and nothing more"

"Yes, my love"

On that basis, Astrid and Arnbjorn went to speak with Festus, who was practicing some rather grotesque experiments in the room with the big stained glass window representing the patron god of the Dark Brotherhood named Sithis, by torturing a man who was unfortunate enough to be kidnapped, held against his will and experimented on in the name of science – or rather, magic - by his captors.

Being a mage _and_ a loyal servant of the Dread Lord Sithis, Festus naturally had a very strong fascination with the human body and how frail it was, so he went out looking for a "volunteer" to experiment on and test how much pain he could take and found an adventurer; a big male Nord with a strong physique but his mental faculties were not so strong, fully clad in iron armour, wandering through the wilderness. Festus used a Paralysis spell to knock him out and drag him back to the Sanctuary. It wasn't easy since his prey was big and heavy, but he managed it in the end.

Festus put him in shackles and chucked a bucket of water on him to give him a rude awakening, and then shortly afterwards, started casting basic spells on him like Flames and Frostbite to torture him slowly. Not just for science, but for fun, too. The Nord yelled and screamed in pain and Festus laughed like the callous and crazy old man that he was. Festus then continued to torture the poor sod for…hours? Days? Weeks? Whatever the case, it was a long time indeed.

Then Arnbjorn and Astrid opened the door and unintentionally disrupted the experiment. Festus saw the former out of the corner of his eye and said "How dare you interrupt my experiment! I'm in the middle of important…"

Before he could finish, he turned to see Astrid was with him and quickly apologised by saying "Oh sorry, Astrid! I didn't see you there. What is it?"

"No need to apologise, Festus. We can see you are very busy. In fact, we are the ones who are sorry"

Arnbjorn gave her a funny look but if Astrid noticed, she elected to ignore it and continue by saying "But we would not have interrupted you if it wasn't important"

"Then what would you have me do, my mistress?"

"You see, I have a contract. His name is Valen Telvanni. A Dark Elf. And I – _we_ need your help taking care of him"

"We?" Festus repeated. "He's yours, isn't he? Mistress Astrid, don't take this the wrong way, but surely, you didn't interrupt my work just to get me to help you kill an elf? Besides, when was the last time you asked for help?"

"That's a good question, my dear. And you're right; I don't normally require assistance in these matters. But Valen is much more dangerous than you think"

"He's a powerful mage, like you" Arnbjorn added. "And a great fighter on top of that. Plus, we've gotta hand it to him; he's incredibly brave and he's tougher than he looks. We know because we've battled with him once already. But I bit him on the neck and tasted his flesh. Which means he'll be unconscious for a few days, making him an easy target. For the time being, at least."

"Then you shouldn't have any trouble killing him without me, so long as you can do it before he turns"

"But that's the thing; he'll be guarded by two of his friends. A Khajiit warrior with blue fur named Inigo, and an old Imperial mage whose name we do not yet know. But what we do know is he's a powerful conjurer, and an expert in Destruction magic. I need you to fend him off while Arnbjorn takes care of Inigo and I do the same with Valen" Astrid explained.

"I see. Very well. I'll do what I can"

"Good. But before we go, let me make myself clear; Valen is mine, okay? Mine and mine only! You and my husband will take care of his friends while I claim him for the Void. That's it. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, mistress. You're the boss"

"Then let's go. Now before it's too late!"

And at these words, the three assassins left the Sanctuary. Festus climbed onto the back of Shadowmere's saddle while Astrid, who was wearing her hood and mask again, climbed onto the front and took the reins. Arnbjorn, on the other hand, didn't need a horse. His beast blood gave him the ability to run faster than any steed, including Shadowmere, and travel great distances on foot without getting tired. So he sprinted across the land towards Dawnstar and Astrid spurred her horse on in the same direction.

…

Meanwhile, back in Dawnstar, Inigo was in Quicksilver mine, digging when he received another mind vibration. "Agh!" he groaned as his head throbbed in pain and dropped his pickaxe. In his vision, he saw three assassins heading towards him; two on horseback and one running on foot. The vision faded almost as quickly as it came, and he didn't get a good look at them, but he saw them nonetheless and that was enough.

So he ran towards the Windpeak Inn and found Langley inside Valen's room, sitting on a chair next to the elf. "They're coming, aren't they?"

"They are. And it appears they've brought a friend with them. Won't be long before our friend wakes up. We must hold them off until he does."

Langley then turned to the innkeeper and walked over to him. "Thoring" he said. "You need to leave. Now! Take your daughter and your maid with you and go speak to the Jarl"

"You want me to speak to the Jarl? What for?"

"Dark Brotherhood Assassins are coming for my friend - one of whom is a werewolf. As you know, my friend is currently unable to defend himself and needs all the help he can get. The Jarl needs to know about this and you must wait inside his hall with your girls until the matter has been dealt with and it is safe to return. Do you understand?"

"Not really, but I heard "assassins" and "werewolf" which is enough"

"Good. Go, now!"

"Karita! Abelone! Wake up! Now!" Thoring yelled and the two aforementioned women immediately woke up. "What is it, father?" Karita asked. "No time to explain. You both need to come with me right now! And don't ask questions, just trust me and do as I say!"

"Yes, father" Karita obliged. "Lead the way" said Abelone, the inn's maid. They both followed Thoring out of the inn and to the Jarl's Longhouse while Langley and Inigo prepared themselves for what was likely going to be one heck of a fight.

…

Jarl Skald was not the most popular man in Skyrim. A crazy old codger and a fool who thinks Ulfric is invincible and breathes fire from his mouth. And instead of looking out for his own people; he would rather send his men off to fight the Empire. Skald the Elder does not fight to protect his people, but to seek glory for himself and to honour the Ninth Divine named Talos.

All that said, Thoring – or should I say "Karita" - was persuasive enough to convince him to send whatever men he still had to guard the inn's front door. Being a bard, Karita had a talent for speech, which she used to her advantage. At first, she kept her mouth shut and listened to what her father had to say, but once she had heard enough to figure out what was going on, she convinced the elderly Jarl that the Empire is many leagues away from Dawnstar and the Dark Brotherhood is a much more immediate threat. Skald also allowed Thoring, his daughter and his maid to stay in his hall until the matter has been resolved and it was safe for them to return…albeit begrudgingly. He might have needed some convincing, and Thoring was no wordsmith, but lucky for him, he had a bard for a daughter.

So, Skald sent at least half a dozen men to watch the tavern and deny entry to anyone who wished to enter unless they had a very good reason to. But when the assassins finally came, they did not request permission, nor did they even speak a word to the guards. Instead, they set their beastly companion Arnbjorn onto them.

Astrid and Festus hid themselves well and watched from a safe distance while Arnbjorn, after he had transformed, ripped the guards to shreds and in just a few minutes, he turned the inn into a slaughterhouse.

Meanwhile, in the tavern, Inigo and Langley heard the thundering sound of a blood-curdling roar, alerting them (and possibly the whole town that the Dark Brotherhood had come at last. That and the sight and sound of a guard's mangled corpse flying through the door, destroying it in the process and smashing into a wall.

Then Arnbjorn appeared in the doorway in his bestial form. His teeth, claws and fur caked in the blood of the Jarl's men he just mauled to death and nothing but murder in his eyes. Neither Inigo nor Langley hesitated to cast spell after spell and shoot arrow after arrow at him, but Arnbjorn leapt high above them and attempted to pounce on them both.

"Attempted" is the operative word, for they both managed to get out of the way just in the nick of time. Inigo immediately switched from his bow to his sword and shield. In a somewhat futile attempt to cut the tension in the room, and divert the beast's attention away from Langley, he whistled at Arnbjorn like he was nothing more than a puppy and said "Here, boy! Kitty wants to play with the big doggy"

Agitated by Inigo's humiliating comment, Arnbjorn looked at him furiously and growled at him, then swiped at him with his huge, bloody claws. Inigo managed to block and dodge his attacks and did his best to hold his ground, but it wasn't easy. The beast was immensely strong and just as fast, too.

At that point, Astrid and Festus had already entered the building and the latter engaged in a duel of wizards with Langley while the former managed to sneak into Valen's room. Just as the two wizards started casting fireballs and such at each other, Langley called out to his Khajiit friend "Bad idea, Inigo! Now you've gone and riled him up!"

Meanwhile, Astrid crept up to Valen while he was still asleep and brandished her dagger. This was it. The moment of truth. Her prey lied right in front of her, sleeping like a baby and just waiting to be killed. He looked so vulnerable, but Astrid, being the heartless cold-blooded killer that she was, couldn't care less. All she could think about was watching the elf die by her hand; his throat slit and his blood pouring from it like a waterfall. That and the large sum of gold she would get after she completed her contract.

If Valen was just a random elf, killing him wouldn't have been nearly as satisfying. But after the incident at Langley's cabin, the Dunmer had proven himself to be one of the hardest contracts Astrid had ever received in her life. She felt a wave of relief wash over her as she had come this close to taking his life and sending Valen to the Void.

A wicked smile formed on her lips though no one could see it as it was covered by her mask. Her eyes fixed on him like a hungry wolf watching its prey and she said "At last, I've got you right where I want you! And now, you're mine!"

She then cackled and brought her blade down on him, but just before the blade could penetrate his grey flesh, his hand grabbed her wrist out of nowhere and stopped it. His eyes shot open and he said "I'm nobody's!"

Astrid's Blade of Woe was just inches away from his throat. She gasped in complete shock as Valen had finally woken up all of a sudden and managed to catch her blade-arm before her dagger could even touch him. She tried to close the gap, as small as it was, between her knife and Valen's throat. But Valen's strength was far too great. He gripped her wrist firmly, and she began to feel him crushing it in her hand.

Valen stood up out of bed while still holding her wrist. "Ow!" Astrid cried out in pain. She struggled and tried to free herself but the elf kept a tight grip on her. As soon as the elf stood up, he continued to hold his would-be assassin's arm tighter than an iron manacle and looked her in the eye for a moment, then said "If anyone dies here tonight, it will be you!" and at these words, he punched her right in the gut with enough force to wind her and send her crashing through the wall behind her on the other side of the room. He may have also broken a few ribs in the process. That's how strong he was now!

Astrid fell into the snowy ground outside the inn. She sat up and clutched her injured mid-section - which felt as though a huge, heavily muscled man had hit her there with a big Warhammer – and watched Valen as he began to transform into a huge black werewolf similar to that of her husband. Valen let out a massive roar and turned to his left to see Inigo battling with Arnbjorn, then ran on all fours at them and attacked the latter from behind, sending him flying across the inn.

Between the two seasoned wizards casting powerful Destruction spells at each other and two giant wolves scratching and clawing at each other, the inn had become nothing short of a battlefield.

While both behemoths were immensely strong, Arnbjorn was stronger. Much stronger, for he had spent many years developing his powers; whereas Valen had literally only just turned. Therefore, the battle mostly favoured Arnbjorn over Valen. The former pounced on the latter, grabbed his legs and smashed him down onto the ground several times before tossing him across the room like a ragdoll.

And while they were fighting, Astrid drank a healing potion, snuck back into the tavern and tried to ambush Inigo from behind, but his heightened Khajiit senses alerted him of her presence and he turned around to face her and Astrid immediately tried to pounce on Inigo, but he bashed her with his shield and sent her flying over the counter.

He then rolled over the counter just as she got back up. Inigo swung his sword at Astrid, but she saw it coming and blocked it with her dagger and hit him with a hard kick to the gut, knocking him back a bit.

The fight favoured Astrid to some degree because her armour was lighter than Inigo's, which gave her more freedom of movement and allowed her to dodge, block and parry his attacks with relative ease. Not only that, but daggers are the superior weapons in such close quarters because they are smaller and quicker than longswords.

That being said, Inigo was no slouch himself. He had more than enough skills and experience in battle to fend off a mere cutthroat. Plus his armour was so thick, Astrid would have had to cut him a thousand times, if not more, in order to kill him.

More guards then entered the building with their weapons drawn and joined the chaos. They did everything they could in their power to stop this madness in the name of the Jarl, but their efforts were in vain. Their swords and arrows failed to kill even one of the combatants and they got caught up in the fight between the two werewolves which resulted in them being slaughtered just like their fellow guards outside who got torn to pieces by Arnbjorn earlier.

While Festus may have failed to kill Langley, he was able to hit the old Imperial with a paralysis spell and buy himself and his fellow assassins time to escape. "Astrid, we need to leave! Now!" he called out. Since she was still fighting Inigo, she called back "I'm a little busy at the moment!"

Festus casted a fireball at Inigo, but he sensed it was coming and managed to duck and take cover under the counter in the nick of time. Astrid got out the way and ran towards Festus. "What are you doing? You almost…"

Inigo switched to his bow, nocked and arrow and stood up, pointing it at…neither of them, for they had already disappeared. "Damn!" he cursed.

Before she could finish, Festus grabbed her and teleported both himself and his mistress outside Dawnstar where Astrid had left Shadowmere. She didn't tie him to any post because she didn't have time for that, but he was such a loyal beast, she didn't even need to for he had not gone anywhere.

"Killed me…" she finished, though she sounded more surprised than angry due to being teleported. "Come on!" Festus prompted her. "No!" she objected. "I can't leave until I've killed Valen!"

"Look at him, Astrid! He's a werewolf now. Just like Arnbjorn. Which means you cannot kill the elf for he is too powerful. Face it, mistress; you failed to complete your contract. We must leave this place before the guards catch us"

Astrid thought about it for a short moment, but not too long because time is short, then sighed "Fine! I'll get Arnbjorn and then we'll leave"

"Let me worry about that lumbering lapdog. You need to get on Shadowmere and ride back to the Sanctuary, now!"

Under normal circumstances, Astrid would have been the one giving Festus orders. But needless to say, these were not normal circumstances at all. So Astrid did as she was told this once. She mounted Shadowmere and said "Be careful, Festus!"

"Worry about yourself, Astrid. Not me, or Arnbjorn. Now, go!"

At these words, she spurred Shadowmere on and he galloped down the road as fast as he could. The fight between Arnbjorn and Valen was no longer taking place inside the inn. When the guards entered the building, Arnbjorn slaughtered them and Valen used this to his advantage by attacking Arnbjorn from behind again and sending him flying out through the doorway. He then pounced on Arnbjorn, causing both him and the elf to fall and crash into the roof of the town blacksmith's forge. Now they were fighting near the coastline.

Or at least they were…until Valen's form had worn off and now he was lying on his back in the snow, exhausted and a lot more vulnerable than he was five minutes earlier. The fight took a lot out of him. He hasn't eaten anything in three days, so naturally, he was not at his full strength. That and he was fighting another one of the beast blood who was much stronger than him regardless of whether or not the elf was fighting on an empty stomach. Arnbjorn, who was still in his bestial form, was about to finish him off when he heard a familiar voice call out "Leave him!"

Arnbjorn turned to his right to see Festus standing there. "He's not your kill, remember?! Besides, enough blood has been shed tonight, anyway! Come on!"

Arnbjorn froze for a moment, then huffed because he knew Festus was right, and he asked in a beastly, guttural voice "Where's Astrid?"

"She's on her way back to the Sanctuary. We must retreat and regroup with her there. Now!"

He looked at Valen again, then back at Festus and growled in frustration. "Fine!"

Festus then teleported again. And that was the last time he was seen in Dawnstar. At least for the time being. Arnbjorn, on the other hand, could not teleport. Certainly not in his wolf form. So he ran as fast as he could – which, needless to say, was extremely fast – away from town and all the way back to the Sanctuary.


End file.
